Operations had been running smoothly for Caleb Ferguson until the end of May.
The Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher had been having a solid start to his 2023 campaign, and seemingly put the inconsistency that's at times plagued the five-year veteran in the rear view mirror.
That was until a recent four-game stretch that caused his ERA to inflate from microscopic to a 3.38 mark, still a respectable number, but one that isn't entirely reflective of his season.
Ferguson reacted to his recent troubles after his outing against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, an appearance where he walked three and gave up as many runs in the Dodgers 9-8 defeat.
“I think if you look at my last couple [outings], I’ve just been grinding a little bit,” said Ferguson, whose ERA has jumped from 0.98 to 3.38 in his past four outings. “Just be better, that’s it. … I’ve been bad. I hope Doc keeps running me out there. I’ll figure it out, but at the end of the day, it comes back on me. I’ve just got to be better.” (via Ben Weinrib of MLB.com)
Tuesday was another example where a Dodger bullpen that had been a strength over the past few seasons became their undoing.
The Dodgers had a 8-4 lead at the end of the 5th before the lead evaporated, punctuated by Ferguson's disappointing 9th where he couldn't seal the game.
Even going back to a recently as Sunday, Bobby Miller went a scoreless six innings in the most impressive outing of his young MLB career, before seeing the Dodgers chance at a win go by the wayside because of the bullpen, punctuated by a 2-run 9th inning home run off of Ferguson that put the game out of reach.
In order for the Dodgers to be true World Series contenders down the stretch, the relief group needs to show more of the same reliability they've showcased in the past. They've still got plenty of time to fix things, but a leaky bullpen will make it extraordinarily difficult for the Dodgers to potentially contend in the fall.
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