Out of desperation, the Dodgers had to put a career infielder in right field on Sunday. Eddy Alvarez replaced the injured Mookie Betts for the rubber match between the Dodgers and Guardians at Dodger Stadium. With utility man Zach McKinstry in transit to LA from the OKC Dodgers, it was one of the few options the Dodgers had.
It didn't go well.
In the second inning, Alvarez botched a routine fly ball. The ball popped out of his glove and the error eventually led to Cleveland's first run of the game.
As it always does in baseball, the ball always finds you.
In the ninth inning, Cleveland first baseman Josh Naylor hit a tailing fly ball down the first base line and Alvarez, Olympic speed skating legs and all, was unable to make the play. The ball scored both the go-ahead run and the insurance run for the Guardians.
In the locker room following the 5-3 loss, Alvarez stated that "this one was definitely on me" and talked about his lack of experience playing the outfield as a professional baseball player (quotes via OCR's Bill Plunkett).
“I do hold myself accountable for a lot of the runs scored today. I hold myself to a high standard, and I didn’t realize how tough it was to read the ball off the bat in the daytime. Just the way the sun hits … the chairs.”
He also talked about misreading Naylor's ball.
“I had to play the hook a little bit more off Naylor’s bat. I thought I had a good read on it, had a good line. … Should’ve made that play.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts took some of the blame as well for installing Alvarez in right field.
“I wanted Eddy to get some at-bats and CT hasn’t played a whole lot of right field, either. I made that decision. He’s doing the best he can. I’m sure he said it was on him, but if it’s on anybody, it’ll be on me for sure.”
Alvarez is back in right field for today's game against the Reds at the Great American Ballpark.
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