The Los Angeles Dodgers are working on makeshifting its bullpen for the remainder of the regular season and into the playoffs.
LA's magic number to clinch the NL West is just one, but it's clear that the bullpen is a troublesome spot at the moment. Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen can no longer be trusted due to poor performance, and Alex Vesia, who is usually solid in a non-save role, can't be trusted in the later innings either. Kirby Yates just got sent to the IL in favor of Roki Sasaki, who is going to be used strictly in a bullpen role for the rest of the season.
Dodgers' may be relying on two starters to anchor the bullpen
The Dodgers' starting rotation has not been the issue. The team is getting quality starts every single night, it seems like, but is just having trouble closing games out.
Enter Emmett Sheehan and Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers have already announced that Kershaw might be used strictly out of the bullpen for the rest of the season, and he showcased that by pitching a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Kershaw has already announced that he's going to retire at the end of the MLB season.
As for Emmett Sheehan, he has been a part of the Dodgers' rotation for pretty much the entirety of the summer. In 72.1 innings over 11 starts, Sheehan has a 2.86 ERA and 86 strikeouts.
It will be interesting to see how both Sheehan and Kershaw are used by Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts throughout the rest of this week and into October. Los Angeles financially committed to three relievers this offseason, and all three haven't worked out, which has forced the coaching staff to pivot and turn to arms they can trust in high-leverage spots.