The current situation of the Los Angeles Dodgers' bullpen is in full disarray.
Last night's loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, a game in which Los Angeles was up by four heading into the ninth, put the bullpen's struggles on an even bigger scope than ever before after southpaw Tanner Scott blew his 10th save of the year.
It is not just Tanner Scott to blame for the lack of performance, as the entire bullpen has experienced their own slippery slope of production and dealing with injuries to crucial arms. Thus, in times of need, it is not uncommon to see the Dodgers continue to pull tricks out of their bag, even if that 'trick' is their future first ballot Hall of Famer.
No one expected that Clayton Kershaw, who just a few days ago announced that 2025 would be his final year playing the game of baseball, would be the most consistent Dodgers arm in the rotation along with ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Both Yamamoto and Kershaw are the only two Dodgers starters to notch 20-plus starts, which puts into perspective how injuries and lack of effectiveness have shadowed not only the starting rotation, but the bullpen as well.
With the final week of the regular season being a crucial one for Los Angeles, they might have to pull out every stop deemed unfeasible to hold out on their own come October.
Kershaw is still slated to pitch his final regular-season game in Dodger Blue during the Dodgers' last series of the season against the Seattle Mariners, but all signs and circumstances are pointing to utilizing Kershaw's services for a relief role, a role that may hold a ton of weight with the postseason looming.
Kershaw has dabbled in relief appearances before, as he was seen as the guy who would secure postseason series for the Dodgers in years past, but with Los Angeles running out of options and the southpaw still willing to give his all for the Dodgers in year 18, the story may write itself to see Kershaw make one last postseason run as a reliever.
The Dodgers could dip their toe in trying the Clayton Kershaw reliever experiment as soon as tonight in Arizona, as the 37-year-old is eligible to pitch after his last home start on the 19th.