Padres Stung By Former Catcher Yasmani Grandal

By Daryll Dorman | Jul 8, 2016

July 8, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal (9) lays down a bunt to reach first in the fourth inning against San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

“Revenge is a dish best served cold” goes the saying, and Yasmani Grandal enacted some on his former team Friday night hitting three home runs and going 5-5 with 6 RBI on the night in the Dodgers victory.

The Padres were excited about Grandal in 2012 when in 60 games he hit nearly .300 with 8 home runs. They had been playing hot and cold Nick Hundley for a few years at catcher and Grandal, who came over with Yonder Alonso and Edinson Volquez for Mat Latos, seemed to be the catcher of the future they needed. Then – he wasn’t.

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In 2013 Grandal’s season was limited to 28 games which included a PED suspension and a .216 average with 1 HR when he did play. 2014 saw Grandal play a career high 128 games, but the .225 average wasn’t what the Padres had been hoping for. The 15 home runs were nice but he was traded after the season in exchange for Matt Kemp.

Last year for the Dodgers he had certain hot streaks but ended the season with a .234 average and career high 16 home runs. 2016 hadn’t been off to a much better start, as entering Friday he had 9 home runs and hitting .183.

Friday the Padres scored first, but the Dodgers quickly answered against Andrew Cashner. Grandal crushed his homer to drive in Yasiel Puig and give the Dodgers a 4-1 lead.

In the 3rd inning, with Adrian Gonzalez and Puig on base, Grandal homered to straightaway center field after the Padres had gotten the game back within one. Howie Kendrick followed with another home run and after a walk to Chase Utley, Cashner was finally (mercifully) lifted from the game.

Grandal however wasn’t done. In the 4th he bunted for a base hit, and in the 7th he hit his third home run of the game to give the Dodgers a 10-6 lead. For good measure in the 8th he recorded his fifth hit of the game, this one another single.

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It has been another bad season for Yasmani Grandal, but at least for one night he faced one of his former teams and showed fans that he can still act the part of a Major League Baseball player and have a huge offensive night. It pushed his season home run total within 4 of career total and bumped his average all the way up to .204. Have to start somewhere right? Two more games against the Padres until the All Star Break.

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