Dodgers’ Bullpen Woes Draw Blunt Words From MLB Insider

The Los Angeles Dodgers secured the NL West division on Thursday, giving them plenty to celebrate. But as they head into the postseason, one big question looms: the state of their bullpen.

Los Angeles took two of three games from the Arizona Diamondbacks, but their bullpen showed the cracks that have plagued them all season in two of the matchups.

The first came after a stellar performance from Shohei Ohtani, when the bullpen faltered and cost the Los Angeles Dodgers the win. In the second game, Los Angeles again saw a lead slip away in relief, though they managed to pull out a win in extra innings.

Ken Rosenthal Shares Thoughts On Los Angeles Dodgers’ Bullpen

On his latest episode of “Foul Territory with Ken Rosenthal,” FOX Sports MLB insider Ken Rosenthal noted his concern for the Dodgers’ bullpen with the postseason getting underway next week.

“You wonder just how effective they’re going to be in the postseason,” Rosenthal said. “Yeah, they’ve got great starters. Starters aren’t going to go nine innings. They never do in the postseason. They never do, period, in baseball anymore. So there is legitimate concern about the Dodgers.

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“This is a team—remember, at the start of the season, we were all talking about them potentially ruining baseball, maybe even winning 115 games. They’re not even going to reach 95 wins. I think they can max out at 93. So yes, there are troubling signs for the Dodgers.”

Dodgers Aren’t Alone With Bullpen Woes

While many people are piling on the Dodgers for their bullpen struggles, Rosenthal highlights that other teams are also entering the postseason with questions about their relievers.

“Think about what is going to happen in October,” Rosenthal added. “With all of this unpredictability, it’s going to be just as unpredictable, if not more so, in October—especially, and I was thinking about this this morning, with all of these bullpens in such disarray.

“And it’s not just the Dodgers. There are any number of teams you can point to that have bullpen troubles. A number of teams also have rotation problems. So, yeah, we’re looking at a wide-open postseason for sure coming up.”

The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the NL West last night with a resounding 8-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. They close the season with a 3-game series against the Seattle Mariners beginning tonight at 6:40 PM PT.