Using your bullpen to pitch an entire game occasionally isn’t a completely bad idea, especially if your rotation is somewhat taxed and needs a break. However, when you count on your bullpen to throw two games in a hitter-friendly ballpark against one of the better offensive teams in the National League, you’re just asking for trouble.
Granted, the Dodgers saw Michael Grove eat up four innings in Saturday’s defeat, but it didn’t even put a dent into some of the team’s current pitching struggles.
Right now, the Dodgers rank 27th of all 30 MLB teams with a 4.76 relief pitching ERA and are second worst in the National League only to the Nationals. When your bullpen is that bad, it’s tough to imagine how well they’ll perform across an entire game. Of course, it would be nice to have a few healthy big guns available — like Daniel Hudson and Blake Treinen — but the team instead has had to settle for a plethora of pitchers whose ERA is well above the 6.00 mark in Yency Almonte, Phil Bickford and Alex Vesia.
The Emergence of Bobby Miller
The more battered your starting rotation is, the more taxed your bullpen will become. Currently, the Dodgers have just three healthy high-quality starters in Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Bobby Miller. There should be some reinforcements at some point in the form of Julio Urias and Dustin May (later down the road), but until that happens, the organization will need to find a way to keep the pitching staff’s head above water.
Speaking of Miller, it’s difficult to imagine where the team might be right now without his early success. The 24-year-old Illinois native has made four starts, going 3-0 with a ridiculous 0.78 ERA and a 0.826 through 23 innings of work. And, it’s probably safe to say that the 6-foot-5 righty has cemented himself a permanent spot in the rotation, barring injury or any unexpected inconsistencies.
Waiting Out the Injuries
There’s really not much the team can do right now from an organizational standpoint except grind out the upcoming games and hope for a speedy return from Urias. Fans have hoped that Noah Syndergaard could turn it around, but it’s not likely as the halfway point of the season is almost here. There’s a miniscule chance he could come back semi-effective after a brief stay on the injured list, but that’s highly improbable.
Righty Dustin May’s flexor pronator strain will probably keep him out of action until after the All-Star break, and there’s no telling how long his recovery will be. As far as prospects go, the club has already given Gavin Stone several shots with no success. Journeyman Andre Jackson has started games at the major league level in the past, but he currently has a 6.62 ERA over seven big league appearances this year.
Right-hander Ryan Pepiot has yet to throw a pitch in any competitive level this season. Grove has shown glimpses of high-quality stuff, but it’s hard to say when he’ll put everything together, if ever. We’ve talked briefly about Landon Knack in the preceding weeks, but the big righty still has a way to go in climbing the organizational ladder.
Looking Ahead
In past years, fans have looked toward the summer trade deadline as a tool to add several much-needed puzzle pieces for the stretch run of the season. The problem right now for the Dodgers is that they really don’t have any major-league ready trading chips of significant value. If Andrew Friedman and his crew go knocking on doors, there’s no question rival general managers will start with names like Diego Cartaya as the centerpiece of a trade package.
At the moment, the Dodgers have fallen 3 ½ games behind the Diamondbacks for control of the NL West. It could get worse if the starting rotation — and the bullpen — doesn’t find a way to come together soon.