Guardians break tie in 9th against Craig Kimbrel, beat Dodgers

LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers acquired Craig Kimbrel so they would have something to which they had been accustomed — a veteran closer to give the ball in ninth innings.

But it seems instead they got something with which they are also familiar — a veteran closer who isn’t quite what he used to be.

Kimbrel entered a tie game Sunday afternoon and gave up two runs in the ninth as the Cleveland Guardians came from behind to beat the Dodgers 5-3.

“Well, a one-out walk, broken-bat double, intentional walk, first-pitch single, sac fly,” Kimbrel said later, recounting the car crash. “I mean, I felt good today. I felt like the ball was coming out of my hand good. I made some good pitches. They put some good swings on them.

“Happy about my mechanics and the pitches I was able to throw. The results weren’t what you want. I’ll just come back and do it again in a couple days.”

He has been doing this version of it quite frequently for awhile now.

Over his past 13 games, Kimbrel has allowed 12 runs in 12 1/3 innings. He has been charged with a run in eight of those appearances, allowing 24 baserunners.

“I’m giving up runs, walking guys. I’m not necessarily giving up a lot of hard-hit balls,” said Kimbrel who has walked 11 in his past 16 innings. “But when you’re walking guys and then giving up singles and balls that aren’t hit so hard, runs are going to score. It seems like I’ve had quite a few outings where that happened.”

Sunday’s game started to unravel with that one-out walk of Oscar Gonzalez on a full-count fastball just below the strike zone.

“I went back and looked at that walk today. I felt like to most guys that would have been a strike,” Kimbrel said. “But he’s so tall (6-foot-4). … I think in my head I get used to having that pitch down there. Unfortunately today that wasn’t the case.”

Josh Naylor followed and sliced a ball down the right field line.

Before Sunday, Eddy Alvarez had played a total of seven innings in the outfield as a big-leaguer — on Friday — and infrequently in the minor leagues.

As an outfielder, Alvarez is an outstanding speed skater. But with Mookie Betts on the Injured List with a cracked rib and Zach McKinstry (a little more familiar with the outfield) en route from Oklahoma City, Alvarez started in right field again Sunday.

“I wanted Eddy to get some at-bats and CT hasn’t played a whole lot of right field, either. I made that decision,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

“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 did indeed say “this one was definitely on me.”

He dropped a fly ball in the second inning, leading to the Guardians’ first run. Naylor’s line drive might have been catchable only with Betts in right field. With Alvarez in pursuit, it dropped in to put runners at second and third.

“I do hold myself accountable for a lot of the runs scored today,” Alvarez said. “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.

“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.”

An intentional walk loaded the bases and Andres Gimenez drove in the go-ahead run with a single through the middle. Ernie Clement drove in an insurance run with a sacrifice fly.

The June gloom that has descended on the Dodgers’ offense continues to throw shade. While going 7-9 this month, the Dodgers have scored just 3 1/2 runs per game while batting .234 (127 for 543) as a team. Only three teams (the Tigers, Angels and A’s) went into Sunday having scored fewer runs this month than the Dodgers.

They did just enough to build a 2-1 lead behind Andrew Heaney in his first start since April 17.

Two months after being sidelined by a sore shoulder, Heaney picked up where he left off. Through his first five innings Sunday, he only allowed that unearned run after Alvarez dropped a fly ball.

Heaney struck out seven in those first five innings. But his first pitch of the sixth inning, a slider at the bottom of the strike zone, was golfed into the left-field pavilion by Gonzalez for his first big-league home run.

Alvarez singled with one out in the seventh and stole second base then gave the Dodgers the lead, scoring when Trea Turner bounced a ground ball up the middle and Andres Gimenez tried an ill-advised leaping, spinning throw. It was predictably off target and got past first baseman Owen Miller.

The Guardians matched that in the eighth when Alex Vesia gave up a leadoff single to Steven Kwan. A sacrifice bunt moved him to second base and Daniel Hudson replaced Vesia with two outs to face pinch-hitter Richie Palacios.

Palacios lashed a double just inside the right-field line to tie the game and set up the ninth-inning decision.

“Craig is our closer,” Roberts said after the game. “I just think there are so many good throws in there and right now there’s a little if something can go wrong, it does. Certainly the walks in there at times isn’t ideal. There’s a lot of soft contact and the stuff is still real. When the fastball is in the strike zone, the fastball is great.”