Let’s talk about last night’s game and address some of the concerns that are out there — because they’re real, and pretending otherwise doesn’t help anyone.
A Flashback to Last Year’s Bullpen
First and foremost: yes, it was a flashback to last year’s late-season bullpen. Alex Vesia is usually very good. He’s been a quietly reliable arm for years now, and he’s had a great start to this season — those two runs he gave up last night were the first runs he’d allowed all year. So I’m not panicking on Vesia.
Blake Treinen, though? He’s been sketchy dating back to mid last year, when he came back from injury. He just hasn’t been the same. And then we see Tanner Scott put into the closer’s role and… well, you saw what happened.
Tanner Scott can be great in certain roles. The closer’s role isn’t one of them. That’s not a knock — it’s a fit problem. And when the late innings keep producing the same outcome, you can’t keep running the same plan out there.
Who Steps Up in the Late Innings?
Here’s the question I keep coming back to: who’s going to step up — and who’s going to be allowed to?
Edgardo Henríquez? Will Klein? How about Kyle Hurt — give him a shot. I think he’s got the stones to do it. Why not?
We’ve got three months before we get Edwin Díaz back, and who knows what we’re going to get when he returns from a layoff that long. Trades will eventually happen if they need to. The front office isn’t going to let things spiral the way they did last year. But in the meantime, the answer is going to come from inside the room. Find the guys who can pitch the eighth and ninth, and let them go work.
The Offense Is a Real Concern
The bullpen is the headline, but the offense isn’t far behind.
- Shohei Ohtani has been very average this year — by his standards.
- Freddie Freeman has been a bit above average. Solid, not quite vintage Freddie.
- Teoscar Hernández has been okay. Just okay.
- Will Smith, just to be clear, is still America’s catcher — an excellent, excellent player all the way around. No notes.
- Max Muncy has great days, then disappears for a stretch, then comes back with a rush. That’s Max.
When Ohtani is “average” and Teoscar is “okay,” you’re leaning hard on Smith and Freeman to carry the lineup. That’s not a recipe that works in October — and it doesn’t always work in April either, as we saw last night.
Hyeseong Kim Is Earning His Spot
One bright spot: Hyeseong Kim has been very good. He’s not an experienced shortstop at the major league level — he played plenty of it in Korea, where he was okay — but I think he’s been playing some good shortstop here. He makes errors here and there, but his range and athleticism really play at the position.
I want to keep seeing Kim out there. He’s earned the at-bats, and he’s earned the leather.
Don’t Rush Mookie Betts Back
There’s been talk about Mookie Betts getting some playing time or coming back soon. I would not push that at all.
Just let him heal. Don’t make this a chronic issue this year. The Dodgers do this — every team does this — and the players do it too, mostly because they convince themselves they’re 100% when they’re not. They go,
“Oh, I’m healthy, I’m ready, let’s go.”
That’s not it. That doesn’t work. You’re 33 years old, Mookie. Take your time. You don’t want to impact your career, and you don’t want to impact October.
The Bright Spot: Emmet Sheehan’s Best Start of the Year
Starting pitching has been the steadying force this season, and last night was no exception. Emmet Sheehan had clearly his best outing of the year. The velocity was holding really well deep into the start. He gave the Dodgers exactly what they needed.
It’s too bad the bullpen really crapped the bed behind him.
Dave Roberts and the Bullpen Management Question
I have to ask the manager too. Dave Roberts — Vesia clearly didn’t have it at the beginning, and he just let him keep going. Vesia did come back around, but by then it was too late.
And Tanner Scott — you can’t leave those pitches over the plate to those hitters. That’s part of the problem. Especially when Dansby Swanson is hitting near the bottom of the order. What are you doing? What are you doing?
The leash and the matchups have to be sharper than that. The margin for error this team has is smaller than it looks on paper.
Bottom Line
The bullpen is a problem again, and Tanner Scott in the ninth isn’t the answer. The offense needs more from its stars. Hyeseong Kim deserves more runway. Mookie should not be rushed. Emmet Sheehan is showing up. And Dave Roberts has to manage the late innings with a lot more urgency.
Three months until the trade deadline. Plenty of time to figure it out — but they need to start figuring it out now.
As always — God bless, and go Dodgers.
This entry was written with the aid of Wispr Flow and Claude