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Dodger Blue > Dodgers News > Dodgers News: Carlos Ruiz Takes Ownership Of Wild Pitches, Vows To Improve With Kenley Jansen
Dodgers News

Dodgers News: Carlos Ruiz Takes Ownership Of Wild Pitches, Vows To Improve With Kenley Jansen

Matthew Moreno
August 27, 2016
3 Min Read
Jason-heyward
Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports
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The Los Angeles Dodgers officially welcomed Carlos Ruiz on Friday, handing him A.J. Ellis’ old locker and sliding Ruiz into the lineup in the series opener against the Chicago Cubs. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and hit by pitch.

Ruiz reached safely in each of his first three plate appearances. However, it was Ruiz’s part behind the plate in the ninth inning that took the spotlight. The Dodgers handed the ball over to Kenley Jansen with a 4-3 lead.

Jason Heyward pulled Jansen’s first pitch of the ninth inning down the line for a double. Heyward’s presence at second base appeared to disrupt the Dodgers’ closer.

Jansen eventually struck out Jorge Soler, but Ruiz attempted to make a backhanded catch and the ball kicked away to his left. Heyward easily advanced to third base, while the out was recorded at first base.

Jansen’s next pitch was a 95 mph cutter that missed high, skipped of Ruiz’s glove and sailed to the backstop. Heyward came flying home to tie the game. Kris Bryant’s second home run on the night, a two-run shot, won it in the 10th.

“I have no excuses. I should have caught that ball,” Ruiz said after the loss. “I don’t know what happened. It was the first time I ever caught him. His ball was moving really good. And it surprised me right there.”

Like Ellis, Ruiz had spent his entire professional career with one team. As such, his only experience with Jansen on the mound came as an opposing batter. “His fastball is really good, it has late movement. It’s different when you’re facing him than catching,” Ruiz explained.

Jansen didn’t put blame on his new catcher but the blown save, his sixth of the season, was a painful part of the learning curve. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted there’s difficulty in catching Jansen, amid the knee-jerk reaction to fault Ruiz for failing to corral either pitch.

“The first one on the strikeout, that’s a tough block for anyone. The other one was just a misfire with the cutter. Obviously, there’s lack of familiarity,” Roberts said. “Kenley is tough for anyone to catch.

“His ball does a lot of different things. It’s a late-life cutter. If you look back at our season, there’s been many times where catchers have caught Kenley’s pitches clean. I think it’s more magnified tonight, but it’s not the first time it’s happened.”

Ruiz said he’d put the game behind him and continue to work toward growing more familiar with not only Jansen, but the entire Dodgers pitching staff.

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TAGGED:Carlos RuizDave RobertsKenley JansenLos Angeles Dodgers
ByMatthew Moreno
Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Executive Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com
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