The Los Angeles Dodgers went into Spring Training with a surplus of starting pitching, but as they’ve become all too familiar with over recent seasons, there seemingly is never enough depth.
In the cases of Clayton Kershaw, Shohei Ohtani and Emmet Sheehan, among some others, the Dodgers knew they weren’t yet going to be options for their rotation.
But Tony Gonsolin’s back injury just before spring came to a close and Blake Snell’s left shoulder inflammation that sidelined him after just two starts have prompted the Dodgers to tap into their organizational depth.
It hasn’t panned out particularly well thus far, and rather than use another spot starter, the Dodgers intend to rely on a bullpen game in the series finale against the Chicago Cubs, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
Against the Cubs, the Dodgers will “piece it together” with a bullpen game, Roberts said.
Thus far the Dodgers have relied on starts from Justin Wrobleski, Landon Knack and Bobby Miller. Those outings have been tied to health of the starting rotation and also the Dodgers keeping both Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki on a schedule of pitching once per week.
Wrobleski gave the Dodgers five innings in his 2025 debut but allowed eight runs in loss to the Washington Nationals on April 8. Wrobleski was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City
Knack started the following day but only pitched 2.1 innings as he gave up five runs in a game the Dodgers came from behind to win after their early lead was squandered.
Knack remained in the rotation for another start and was improved against the Colorado Rockies on Jackie Robinson Day, but it was a relatively short outing of 4.1 innings. Knack was optioned the next day so that Miller could become the latest spot start.
It was an unmitigated disaster despite the Dodgers storming out to a 7-1 lead after the first inning. Miller wound up getting through just three innings as he allowed a grand slam and six runs overall, putting the Dodgers in an unexpected close game for the rest of the night.
Miller was optioned the next day and the Dodgers recalled Noah Davis to take his spot on the active roster.
Dodgers bullpen options
Deciding to turn to their bullpen makes strategic sense for the Dodgers, particularly with an off day leading into the series against the Cubs and another on Thrusday.
Dustin May is lined up to start Tuesday, and providing any sort of length will further be a boon for the group of relievers.
Dodgers bullpen games have proven successful in the past, most notably during the 2024 postseason, but Wednesday is the team’s first time deploying the strategy in earnest this year.
The Dodgers otherwise have needed at least four innings from their bullpen in 10 different games this season. In eight of those, relievers combined to allow two or fewer runs, and four such instances were scoreless efforts by the bullpen.
The Dodgers are 9-1 in the aforementioned 10 games.
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