Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts Addresses Dodgers Bullpen Struggles

The Dodgers are playing without a designated closer for the first time in years. They also have one of the highest ERAs in the majors in their bullpen.

Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts Addresses Dodgers Bullpen Struggles

Despite having a respectable win-loss record in the National League, the Dodgers are having significant issues, particularly with their bullpen. They have had a difficult season in that regard, having one of baseball’s weakest bullpens.

The team has a 4.76 ERA and is now 27th in MLB, although its splits are unclear. a 2.70 road rating and an MLB-best 3.13 rating at home.

However, injuries cannot account for the bullpen’s subpar performance, which ranks 27th in the majors with a 4.76 ERA, only outperforming the Oakland A’s, Kansas City Royals, and Washington Nationals, all of which are in last place. Among the relievers, only Phil Bickford (and his 7.33 ERA) and Tyler Cyr (two scoreless appearances) are on the injured list.

What’s more, this year they don’t have a designated closer, which is a first for manager Dave Roberts.

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But keep it a secret from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts that there is a connection between the two and that Evan Phillips being the team’s primary closer may help with some of the team’s late-game troubles.

The duties of pitchers in the bullpen have become less clear-cut without a specialized closer. Although he has thrown as early as the fifth inning this season, Evan Phillips leads the club with seven saves. During the ninth inning, four other arms have also contributed. several contend that the success of several Dodgers bullpen arms has been hampered by the absence of definite roles or designated innings.

“I think there is a little bit of too much emphasis on the dedicated closer,” Roberts said Saturday. “There were a lot of people calling for (Craig) Kimbrel to be gone last year … and having a dedicated closer, saying it wasn’t helpful to our ’pen.”

“It has [been more challenging]. Whether it’s a dedicated closer or a high-leverage arm like Blake Treinen or Daniel Hudson, it changes the dynamic. This is just the nature of the game. It provides opportunities for other guys, and that’s when you see what you have. We hope to get Hudson back in a couple of weeks, but in the meantime, we’re still evaluating,” says Roberts.

“You have to peel back individual performance. And I think that individually, guys are not pitching to their capabilities.”

Is that volatility to blame for the bullpen issues the Dodgers are having?

“I don’t think so,” Friedman said. “But again, predicting bullpen performance from one year to the next is extremely challenging. If guys’ stuff was up and down, if there were injury concerns with these guys I would be more concerned. I think there’s some pitch execution, some location, some giving opposing hitters too much credit. We’ve got to get back on the aggressive (side) of getting ahead and then dictating the at-bat as opposed to the at-bat being dictated to us.”

Similar signs include a paucity of strikeouts and an inability to finish off batters, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

Roberts may have downplayed the importance of a closer, but there is still cause for worry because this past week saw a spike in tension.

The Dodgers’ 12 bullpen losses are among the worst among teams with legitimate World Series ambitions.

Though it may be weeks before they can make a difference, there is optimism that injured pitchers who have been placed on the injured list can offer some respite.

 

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