After an offensive explosion from the Dodgers Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles secured the Wild Card Series opening win by a final of 10-5.
Alongside the explosive production on offense, game one starter Blake Snell dominated on the mound, tossing seven strong innings while only allowing two earned runs on four hits and punching out nine.
With the game seemingly out of reach by the time Snell exited the game, it seemed as though it would be minimal work for the Dodgers' bullpen to shut out the Reds, but the exact opposite happened.
Alex Vesia was the first arm out of the bullpen to start the eighth. This is where trouble began to brew.
It took the likes of Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez, and Jack Dreyer to finish the eighth inning alone. Vesia was only able to record one out before Dodgers manager Dave Roberts handed the ball to Henriquez, and even then, Henriquez was not able to retire the only three batters he faced.
Back-to-back walks and an RBI single knocked Henriquez out of the game, and in came Dreyer to potentially stop the bleeding. But even then, Dreyer had his own trouble as he walked in a run before recording the final two outs.
“It's very clear to me, when you're on the attack, those guys are on their heels with the lead we have. When you start being too fine and getting behind, you start giving them free bases, and that's how you can build innings and get momentum. So that's what I saw in that inning there for sure," Roberts said on the Dodgers bullpen not being as aggressive with an eight-run lead.
What started as an eight-run lead in the eighth inning quickly turned into a 10-5 game heading into the ninth. Of course, the Dodgers still had a comfortable lead with three outs remaining and eventually secured the win, but the almost historic meltdown has raised concerns about the Dodgers' bullpen, especially if they advance to the NLDS to face the No. 2 seed Philadelphia Phillies.
"If we don't feel comfortable using certain guys with an 8-run lead, then we've got to think through some things. But as you pitch guys, you start to learn more about guys. And that's kind of how it goes," Roberts said about whether he used Henriquez to stay away from high-leverage arms.
The recurring thorn in the Dodgers' side since the season began has been the bullpen. But now, as the calendar turns to October, it seems apparent that the bullpen needs to buckle down more than ever, especially with a tough gauntlet ahead.