Process, process, process—the results of a spring training game matter most when they validate certain processes and reinforce an idea. The Dodgers scored a boatload of runs in a 14- 13 walk-off loss against the Reds; one of their expected regulars, Max Muncy, went yard, but what mattered more than anything else was the validation of Santiago Espinal’s case to make the Opening Day roster as a utility bat off the bench.
Espinal, who entered the game scorching hot this spring, having gone 8 for 14 in his first
six games with a couple of extra-base hits, went yard twice, responsible for half a dozen RBI. Adding further praise to Espinal’s performance, those two home runs came against Emilio Pagán and Tony Santillan, two of the more experienced arms in the Reds bullpen.
Once upon a time, an All-Star when he played for the Blue Jays in 2022, Espinal is coming off two horrendous campaigns with the Cincinnati Reds, and perhaps a change of scenery is exactly what his career needed.
Even before the game, Dave Roberts wasn’t shy about singing the praises of Espinal’s impact on and off the field.
Equally important as his production with the bat, Espinal, who played first base in this particular affair against the Reds, earns praise for his flexibility, having experience covering second, short, third, and corner outfield. It’s worth pointing out that there is a larger need at the start of the season for this role Espinal is likely to fill, given the fact that Kiké Hernández will begin the year on the injured list. Hernández is currently recovering from elbow surgery.
On the mound, it was not a pleasant time for the veteran Cole Irvin, on the hook for six of the runs the Dodgers allowed by giving up a trio of home runs, one of them at 114.5 MPH exit velocity to the very impressive Elly De La Cruz. The Dodgers led by three in the ninth when Jordan Weems came in to close the game, but Cincinnati ambushed him for four runs, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
Next on the docket, the Dodgers will play an evening game against the Royals on Friday, sending out youngster Jackson Ferris to make his third spring start. Ferris has yet to allow a run in 2.2 innings of work.
