As expected, the Los Angeles Dodgers carried 12 pitchers for the best-of-five National League Division Series matchup against the Atlanta Braves. The shorter series made eight relievers an ample amount, even for an aggressive pitching-change club such as L.A.
There weren’t any notable surprises, as the Dodgers seemingly put a premium on recent performance and postseason experience. Now having eliminated the Atlanta braves in four games, the Dodgers can reset their roster for the NL Championship Series.
Along with their opponent now being the Milwaukee Brewers, the Dodgers are preparing for a best-of-seven series. Typically, that lends to carrying an extra pitcher.
Manager Dave Roberts said the team was considering adding Ross Stripling to their NLCS roster, and during a workout restated the Dodgers are mulling multiple options, via J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group:
Dave Roberts said "there’s possibly a couple changes that we’re still talking through" for the NLCS roster.
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) October 10, 2018
In addition to Stripling, conceivable changes the Dodgers could make are adding J.T. Chargois or Josh Fields on the pitching front, and a versatile infielder in Kyle Farmer or pinch-runner Tim Locastro.
Or perhaps Julio Urias showed enough in his limited opportunities after returning from shoulder surgery. Urias gained postseason experience in 2016, but none of his appearances this year were in high-leverage or back-to-back situations.
Ultimately, there might not be great odds of the Dodgers making a change for anyone other than Stripling, who would be able to provide length out of the bullpen.
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