Despite Offensive Showcase, Bullpen Concerns Still Loom for the Dodgers

LOS ANGELES – For seven innings Tuesday night, the Dodgers looked every bit the juggernaut they were expected to be after another offseason of exorbitant spending drew the ire of opposing owners and the favor of their fans. 

They watched their biggest signing of the winter deliver the longest outing of his postseason career. 

They tied a postseason franchise record with five home runs, conjuring memories of last year’s magical run as many of the same offensive pieces who led them to a World Series title once again stepped up on the playoff stage. 

And then they held their breath. 

There’s a reason, after all, that they’re hosting the Reds in the wild-card series this year and not resting up, and that reason was on display again in a 10-5 win. 

With this bullpen, which needed 59 pitches and three relievers to get through the eighth inning alone, even an eight-run lead did not feel safe. 

“It’s very clear to me, when you’re on the attack, those guys are on their heels with the lead we have,” said manager Dave Roberts. “When you start being too fine and getting behind, you start giving them free bases. And that’s how you can build innings and get momentum.”

In his first outing against the Reds since no-hitting them last year, Blake Snell carved through the Cincinnati lineup again while striking out nine batters and allowing two runs in seven innings.  

He was given an early lead by his high-powered offense. 

“It definitely sets the tone,” Snell said. “From there, the mindset is attack and put up a zero the next inning and get the guys back in the dugout so they can hit.”

In his first at-bat of the postseason, leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani sent a blistering home run 117.7 mph off the bat and into the right-field pavilion. It was a sign of things to come, as the Dodgers’ lineup blitzed Los Angeles native Hunter Greene for five runs, knocking the Reds ace out after three innings. 

Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández each homered twice on the night, Tommy Edman homered once, and Snell surrendered just one hit through his first six innings. 

“We have a group of guys that have experienced the postseason, and we know what it takes to win these games,” Edman said. “We do a good job of slowing the game down.” 

It was everything the Dodgers envisioned when they assembled their loaded roster this winter, a group Tyler Glasnow once compared to the “Monstars.” The Dodgers’ luxury-tax payments alone this year dwarf the entire payroll of their first-round opponent, much to the chagrin of those who mourned the sport’s competitive imbalance. The Dodgers seemed to have built an indomitable superteam. 

Their final record would tell a different story. 

They won 93 games, their fewest in a full season since 2018. Injuries limited the availability of their standout rotation all year. Many of the team’s key offensive pieces regressed. The signings and re-signings that supposedly broke the game did not pan out as anticipated. And their bullpen just plain broke. 

At times this year, it seemed like the Dodgers would flip a switch only when they had to. In a tight division battle, they did that, winning 15 of their last 20 games to win the NL West for the 12th time in the last 13 years. 

But their most glaring issue still lingers into October. 

After Snell’s seven brilliant innings, a parade of relievers entered and promptly exited. 

Alex Vesia is one of the only high-leverage relievers that Roberts can trust, and the Dodgers’ manager turned to the left-hander in the eighth inning to try to secure a 10-2 advantage. Two of the first three batters reached before Vesia departed. 

Roberts then turned to hard-throwing righty Edgardo Henriquez, who allowed two free passes, walked in a run and surrendered an RBI single.

“At that point in time, you’ve got to get somebody else to stop the momentum,” Roberts said.

 In came rookie Jack Dreyer. Another bases-loaded walk followed. Unease filled the stadium. Boos began to rain down from a crowd of 50,555 fans who had seen this too often before. 

To get through October and combat the issue, the Dodgers will have to use some of their starters in a relief role. One of them, Emmet Sheehan, began to get loose as the tension built. Ultimately, he would not be needed. Dreyer worked his way out of the mess, and Blake Treinen followed with a scoreless ninth. 

“All those situations are good for us in the long run,” said catcher Ben Rortvedt, who’s filling in behind the plate while All-Star Will Smith works his way back from a fractured hand. “Those are good things to go through, grow through and learn from.” 

The Dodgers’ biggest flaw is still a concern over the next month. 

But with one more win, they can save that concern for the National League Division Series. 

“You can’t add extra pressure,” Mookie Betts said ahead of Wednesday’s closeout opportunity. “You can’t make it more than what it is. It’s just a game. It’s still a game. Still gotta go do the same thing. We’re not going to all of a sudden become Superman, do different things. Just have to play the same game.”

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.
 

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