The Los Angeles Dodgers underwent a significant change behind the plate prior to the 2015 season by acquiring Yasmani Grandal as part of the trade that sent Matt Kemp to the San Diego Padres.
Granadl replaced A.J. Ellis as the Dodgers’ starting catcher, and hit .282/.401/.526 with 14 home runs, 36 RBIs, a .399 wOBA and 159 wRC+ over 69 games (61 starts) in the first half of last season.
At the All-Star break he led all catchers in on-base percentage, on-base plus slugging percentage (.927), and was second in home runs. Grandal was then slowed by a shoulder injury in the second half, which required offseason surgery.
Since that point, he’s yet to truly remain healthy. After slowly being integrated into Spring Training, Grandal suffered from forearm soreness.
He began this season on the disabled list and has been affected by nagging wrist/thumb and ankle injuries over several weeks. On Tuesday, Grandal delivered in a key moment that at least momentarily erased some of the frustration that’s come with his subpar results thus far.
With runners on first and second and one out in the bottom of the eighth, Tanner Roark saw his strong night of work erased on one crack of the bat:
Grandal’s three-run home run proved to be the difference in the Dodgers’ 3-2 come-from-behind victory. It was his sixth homer of the season, and marked the 12 consecutive game the Dodgers hit a home run, which is the most since 2002.
