Sep 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) pulls relief pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) during the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Dodgers Manager Makes Unfortunate Admission About Bullpen

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Aaron Coloma | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Los Angeles Dodgers' bullpen has had a terrible run of games as of late, and manager Dave Roberts revealed he is still trying to figure out which of his relievers he should take to the postseason.

The Dodgers have just nine games before the end of the season, and their bullpen troubles have only grown since the beginning of the month. Notably, Tanner Scott has been the final pitcher in three Dodgers' losses since the beginning of the month, and Blake Treinen has four losses and a 9.53 ERA in September.

“It’s just trying to see which guys step up with opportunities,” Roberts said. “I thought Tanner (Scott), for example, the last two outings have been very good. That’s really good to see. So, just trying to figure out who’s going to seize the opportunity. They’re going to continue to get opportunities and we’ll see how it plays out.”

The Dodgers have a bottom-10 bullpen since the beginning of the month, posting a 5.65 ERA through 51 innings. The Dodgers have three relievers with ERAs below 3.00 since the beginning of the month: Anthony Banda, Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer. They have had seven other pitchers enter the game in relief in September, excluding Emmet Sheehan, and five of them have ERAs over 6.50.

While the Dodgers' bullpen is struggling, their rotation has been elite since the beginning of September. Shohei Ohtani has 8.2 scoreless innings in his two starts this month, and Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Emmet Sheehan all have ERAs below 2.50.

Even Clayton Kershaw, who has a 6.59 ERA through his three starts in September, has a FIP of 3.22, meaning he is pitching at a much higher level than his ERA indicates.

The Dodgers rotation is heating up at the right time, and while the bullpen has struggled, things are looking up on that front as well. Dodgers relievers kept the Philadelphia Phillies quiet on Wednesday, their first time holding a team scoreless since their final game of the season against the Colorado Rockies.

The Dodgers will look to continue their winning ways against San Francisco Giants in a four-game series over the weekend.