On the outside, the Los Angeles Dodgers seem to be having a great season. After all, they are topping the ranks in the NL West just like they did last season, and if their history is anything to go by, this season should be a repeat of the same. But away from the rankings, which paint an ideal picture, the team’s bullpen’s performance has been sparking conversations over the years. And now, with Tanner Scott being out, the debates have only increased, especially since the best sports betting sites have been adjusting the team’s odds, thus causing fans and punters to wonder if the team is taking a bigger hit than they expected. We review Scott’s latest injury, how the team is adjusting, and whether this could impact the team’s performance. We also let you in on why the team’s bullpen may be the team’s weakness.
A Quick Tanner Scott Review.
Players make a team, and with the Dodgers, Scott has been a key part of their success. This left-handed reliever is the team’s closer who has had a string of impressive performances. In fact, in 2024, he was an All-Star with a 1.75 ERA across the Marlins and Padres, making him one of the best baseball pitchers in the country. So, when he signed a $72 million contract just before the 2025 season, the team and its fans were sure that they had made the right bullpen acquisition that would solidify the end of their games. After all, what they needed was a dominant hard-throwing closer so that they could compete in the postseason, and Scott checked all the boxes.
Scott’s Injury, Bullpen Weakness, and the Need for a Rebuild.
On paper, the Dodgers expected a smooth sail once Scott was part of the team. However, things turned out quite differently on the pitch. While the team did win the NL West in the 2025 season, it was clear to the fans that the bullpen was not only ripe with late-game failures, but it was also dealing with a high number of innings due to early struggles in the games. Even Scott was struggling to the point that he was accumulating so many blown saves that his shortcomings were contributing to losses. The bullpen’s weakness became more evident in the rankings as it was consistently low in the key categories, such as coming 22nd in WHIP at 1.33 or 21st in ERA at 4.27 during the regular season. And the postseason was not much better, as it ranked at 2.22 WHIP and 7.04 ERA. So, as much as the team was winning, this success was mainly because it had a strong starting rotation and an amazing defense.
Come the start of a new season, the team was ready to turn things around. After all, while Scott had been struggling, the team still relied on him as a closer. However, this was not to be as Scott suffered an injury, and after his surgery, he was officially out of the NLDS games as well as any potential NLCS games. So, what did this mean for the team?
- They had lost a high-velocity left-handed arm for their NLDS and NLCS games.
- The other relievers, who had also been struggling, now needed to step up and take on Scott’s role.
- The bullpen was now reliant on inconsistent arms during the crucial innings.
Given this situation, the team had no option but to rethink its relief pitching strategy. Following Scott’s removal on October 9, 2025, Justin Wrobleski has been an especially important replacement as he excels as a left-handed pitcher, while Roki Sasaki has stepped up as a primary closer. While Sasaki had initially struggled early in the season, he has been dominating late-inning appearances, and the team is hopeful that he will continue to fill the gap left in Scott’s departure. Early games show that the team could sail through the NLDS games since they managed 3-1 over the Philadelphia Phillies and have expressed a high level of confidence to keep up the momentum in the coming games.
