The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped their second consecutive game to the Houston Astros with a 7-6 walk-off loss at Minute Maid Park.
It was a crushing defeat for the Dodgers as they held a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth. Evan Phillips, who has struggled mightily of late, entered the game with two outs in the inning and allowed four straight RBI singles.
Then in the bottom of the eighth with the Dodgers leading by two, Daniel Hudson gave up a pair of RBI singles that helped the Astros pull even at six. Houston would win on Alex Bregman’s walk-off home run against Blake Treinen in the ninth.
The Dodgers bullpen has been largely effective this season despite taking on a significant workload, but manager Dave Roberts believes it is catching up to them, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“It is. It absolutely is,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts agreed. “We’re still in first place. You still have to win games and you can look back at each game and say ‘Could the starter have gone longer to save an inning here and there?’ But the bottom line is we’re in first place and you have to win games somehow.
“But the rubber does hit the road at some point and when guys are taxed – when you’re using them, it is a cost. Absolutely.”
Roberts added the bullpen has been overworked partly due to the team’s starting pitchers not going deep into games and called on them to step up:
“They’re stressed,” Roberts acknowledged in an understatement.
“It’s tough. And you also have young starters that you’re trying to get their feet under them in the big leagues. When you look at the young guys that we have, I think we’ve done a good job of, you can say protecting them, keeping them strong. Minor-league innings are much different than major league-innings so the stress on the arms and the innings are not all created equal. That’s just the facts. We have to get these guys to continue to gain confidence so they can handle big spots.”
The Dodgers bullpen has logged 412.1 innings this season, which ranks fourth behind only the San Francisco Giants (432.2), Milwaukee Brewers (430) and Miami Marlins (422).
Despite often being relied upon, L.A.’s relief corps entered play Sunday with a 3.65 ERA, which is good for seventh in baseball. However, the unit has struggled as of late and owns a 6.41 ERA over the last 10 games.
Phillips and Alex Vesia are among the Dodgers relief pitchers who have taken a step back since the All-Star break.
Will Dodgers make bullpen trade?
While the bullpen has largely been a strength this season, the Dodgers could potentially make an addition to the group before the July 30 trade deadline.
L.A. was said to have interest in Oakland Athletics closer Mason Miller before his injury and are among the teams being linked to Tanner Scott of the Miami Marlins.
While Scott would provide an immediate boost to the bullpen, the more likely scenario for the Dodgers is acquiring an undervalued relief pitcher who could elevate his game with some adjustments.
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