Dodgers Dugout: Is this the worst bullpen in L.A. Dodgers history?

Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, reminding you to return your tray table to its full upright and locked position before the regular season comes to a landing.

So, what do we talk about as we prepare for another postseason? The same thing we’ve been talking about pretty much all season. The bullpen. It hasn’t been all that great this year. There have been flashes of solid work, but for the most part, you hold your breath any time a reliever comes into the game.

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And that’s the way it’s going to be all postseason. It doesn’t matter if the relievers don’t give up a run in the final six games of the season. It will still be nervous time once Game 1 against whomever begins.

One thing readers ask me often is, is this the worst Dodgers bullpen ever? Well, no, but let’s take a look:

Worst bullpen ERAs since the Dodgers moved to L.A.:

1. 1958, 4.74 (team record: 71-83)

2. 2001, 4.70 (86-76)

3. 1994, 4.69 (58-56)

4. 2005, 4.42 (71-91)

5. 1999, 4.37 (77-85)

6. 2025, 4.28 (88-68)

7. 1995, 4.22 (78-66)

8. 1979, 4.17 (79-83)

9. 1961, 4.15 (89-65)

10. 2006, 4.12 (88-74)

11. 2010, 4.07 (80-82)

Those are the only L.A. Dodger teams with a bullpen ERA over four. This year’s Dodgers are the sixth-worst among the 68 L.A. Dodger bullpens.

Just to complete the thought, here’s the 10 best bullpen ERAs since they moved to L.A. before the 1958 season:

1. 1968, 2.14 (76-86)

2. 1988, 2.35 (94-67)

3. 1966, 2.38 (95-67)

4. 2003, 2.46 (85-77)

5. 1983, 2.50 (91-71)

6. 2020, 2.74 (43-17)

7. 1989, 2.75 (77-83)

8. 1980, 2.83 (92-71)

9. 1978, 2.84 (95-67)

10. 1964, 2.86 (80-82)

Last season’s World Series champion team had a bullpen ERA of 3.53, which puts them around the middle of the pack, 30th-best in L.A. Dodger history.

Now let’s look at the 10 worst again, but compare them to the league ERA that season. After all, a team with 4.10 ERA in a league that averages a 3.90 ERA is better than a team that has a 4.10 ERA in a league that averages a 3.20 ERA.

1958
Bullpen ERA: 4.74
League ERA: 3.95
Difference: +0.79

2001
Bullpen ERA: 4.70
League ERA: 4.36
Difference: +0.34

1994
Bullpen ERA: 4.69
League ERA: 4.21
Difference: +0.48

2005
Bullpen ERA: 4.42
League ERA: 4.22
Difference: +0.20

1999
Bullpen ERA: 4.37
League ERA: 4.56
Difference, -0.19

2025
Bullpen ERA: 4.28
League ERA: 4.24
Difference: +0.04

1995
Bullpen ERA: 4.22
League ERA: 4.18
Difference: +0.04

1979
Bullpen ERA: 4.17
League ERA: 3.73
Difference: +0.44

1961
Bullpen ERA: 4.15
League ERA: 4.03
Difference: +0.12

2006
Bullpen ERA: 4.12
League ERA: 4.49
Difference: -0.37

That 1958 bullpen, featuring Clem Labine, Fred Kipp and Johnny Klippstein was pretty bad, while the 1999 bullpen (Jeff Shaw, Alan Mills, Onan Masaoka) and the 2006 bullpen (Takashi Saito, Jonathan Broxton, Joe Beimel) don’t belong in the discussion of worst Dodger bullpens.

But we’re looking at this year’s bullpen, and while they are about league average, the fact is the Dodgers spent a lot of money in the offseason to make it one of the league’s best. Tanner Scott got four years, $72 million, a signing that at this moment looks pretty terrible. Kirby Yates (one year, $13 million) is worse than Scott on the mound. Most of the usual stalwarts are either not pitching well (Blake Treinen) or injured (Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol). The best, most consistent relievers have been Jack Dreyer and Alex Vesia, both lefties. Edgardo Henriquez has been good, but is still very green and has pitched only 17 innings this season. Anthony Banda has been solid. Michael Kopech can’t find the strike zone (13 walks in 11 innings) and is back on the IL. And so on. In short, there is no one you really say “I’m glad he’s in the game.”

By the way, an interesting stat: In the last five Dodger losses, the pitcher of record (which means he got the loss) was Treinen. A Dodgers starting pitcher hasn’t recorded a loss since Sept. 4.

Are reinforcements on the way? Maybe, but what can we expect out of those reinforcements, namely Roki Sasaki and Brock Stewart? It would be hold your breath time if they came in too.

The good news is that, especially for the first round, which lasts only three games at most, a couple of starters can go into the bullpen. Having Emmet Sheehan coming in for relief could be a welcome sight.

But basically, if you have feelings of dread over the bullpen, they won’t be going away before October. Think of it as the perfect Halloween feeling. Frightened and anxious.

This week

This week is about winning the division and securing home-field advantage in the first round. The Dodgers have a 2 1/2-game lead over San Diego with six to play. In effect, it is a four-game lead (the Dodgers are three games up in the loss column), because if the two teams tie, the Dodgers have the tiebreaker. The Dodgers’ magic number to clinch the West is three.

The Dodgers close with three games at Arizona and three games at Seattle. The Diamondbacks are fighting for the final wild-card spot, while the Mariners are fighting for the AL West division title.

The Padres close with six games at home. Three with Milwaukee, which has clinched the NL Central division title and is 2-1/2 games up on Philadelphia for the best record in baseball, and three with Arizona. The Padres beat the Brewers in extra innings Monday. They have a day off Thursday, while the Dodgers have no days off remaining.

The first round starts a week from today, with the Dodgers (hopefully) playing host against either New York, Cincinnati or Arizona.

Poll time

If all goes as expected this week and the Dodgers win the West, which team would you prefer the Dodgers play in the first round, New York, Cincinnati or Arizona?

Click here to vote.

It wasn’t the Dodgers’ fault

The Dodgers have received a lot of criticism recently for being money hungry in “putting Clayton Kershaw‘s final home game on Apple TV+.” And while there are times the Dodgers seek the almighty dollar, this wasn’t one of them.

As Bill Shaikin explains in this story:

“The exclusive broadcast rights for the game belong to Apple TV+, as part of a package of Friday night games bought from Major League Baseball. Apple is guaranteed a minimum of four exclusive broadcasts for whatever teams it chooses to air, according to a league official. Friday’s game will be the Dodgers’ fourth on Apple TV+ this season, so it remains exclusive to Apple.”

People close to the situation not authorized to speak publicly have said that the Dodgers asked for permission to put the game on a local channel so everyone could watch, but Apple was not keen on that idea.

Will Smith

The worst thing for the Dodgers in the postseason might not be the bullpen, it might be the fact that Will Smith has a hairline fracture of his right hand. He won’t play this week, and the Dodgers are hoping he will be back for the postseason. The Dodgers have played well in his absence, but it would still be nice to have one of your best hitters in the lineup.

He will be replaced as a starter by Ben Rortvedt, who has usurped Dalton Rushing in the catcher hierarchy for the moment. Why, well, as Jack Harris recounts in this story, the pitchers love the guy. The Dodgers have a 2.92 ERA in 14 games with Rortvedt behind the plate, compared to 4.00 for Rushing and 4.04 with Smith. Granted, it’s a small sample size and the rotation was beginning to surge before Rortvedt took over for Smith, but it’s still impressive for someone to come from outside the organization and fit in as seamlessly as he has.

Rortvedt is also hitting .270.341/.324 with the Dodgers, far ahead of his career numbers of .192/.280/.269.

Up next

Tuesday: Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 1-1, 3.29 ERA) at Arizona (Brandon Pfaadt, 13-8, 5.02 ERA), 6:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Dodgers (*Blake Snell, 5-4, 2.44 ERA) at Arizona (Ryne Nelson, 7-3, 3.34 ERA), 6:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Thursday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 11-8, 2.58 ERA) at Arizona (Nabil Crismatt, 3-0, 2.61 ERA), 12:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

Dodgers Dugout: Is this the worst bullpen in L.A. Dodgers history?

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