The Los Angeles Dodgers were plagued by injuries throughout the 2024 season, including many to their starting rotation that forced them to take a different approach at times.
Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone and Walker Buehler all missed significant time, which created opportunities for some of the team’s younger starters.
The Dodgers also occasionally utilized bullpen games, which is a strategy that has become increasingly popular in recent years. A reliever typically handles the first inning and is followed by a bulk pitcher who takes care of the middle frames.
Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior recently said the team is confident with their ability to navigate bullpen games, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I think we feel really good with our bullpen games,” Prior said. “When we get into those games we feel pretty good about our bullpen guys being able to run it out and we’ve done it enough that I think we can isolate the matchups we want the best we can, knowing that you’re going to take your medicine (with an unfavorable matchup) once or twice over the course of a game.”
The Dodgers could find themselves opting for bullpen games at times during the postseason due to the amount of injuries they are facing.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is starting Game 1 of the National League Division Series, followed by Jack Flaherty taking the mound Sunday.
Walker Buehler and Landon Knack also were named to the Dodgers postseason rotation, but what order they may appear has not been finalized. Neither has if Knack would make a traditional start or follow an opener.
It’s also plausible Knack appears out of the bullpen at some point early in the series if the Dodgers don’t get length from a starter.
Clayton Kershaw won’t be on Dodgers postseason roster
While Glasnow and Stone have already been ruled out from pitching again this season, there was some hope that Kershaw would potentially be available for the playoffs.
However, the left-hander has not been able to make much progress in his recovery from left big toe inflammation caused by a bone spur.
“He’s just not going to be viable for a couple weeks, and then we’ll see what that looks like as far as where our playoff push is,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
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