April 6th, 2019 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka At some point the Dodgers offensive magic carpet ride is going to end, or at least slow down a bit. I mean let’s be real here; if Dodgers right fielder Cody Bellinger were to continue on the torrid home run pace that he – and the rest of us – are thoroughly enjoying, he will finish the season with 216 home runs. At some point the league will simply quit pitching to him, much like it did to Barry Bonds during his performance-enhanced record-setting 72-home run season in 2001.
But while Messrs. Bellinger, Kiké Hernandez, Joc Pederson, Austin Barnes, and Max Muncy continue to rake, and with the Dodgers currently on an impossible pace to hit 425 home runs this season, they have (very) successfully deflected the attention of their (very) glaring Achilles’ heel – their struggling bullpen. At some point their current 8.125 runs-per-game average is going to come back down to Earth and the bullpen’s shortcomings will be front and center.
Through their first eight games, the Dodgers bullpen – i.e., Scott Alexander, Pedro Baez, Caleb Ferguson, Dylan Floro, Yimi Garcia, Kenley Jansen, Joe Kelly, Brock Stewart (and Russell Martin) – have allowed a combined 25 earned runs in their combined 32.2 innings pitched, for a combined earned run average of 6.89. But when you exclude Alexander, Ferguson, Floro, and Martin, who have not allowed an earned run to date (and Jansen, who has allowed only one) from this list, you immediately see just how bad Stewart (eight earned runs), Kelly (six), Garcia (six) and Baez (four) have been. These four alone are responsible for 24 earned runs in a combined 16.0 innings pitched for an atrocious 13.50 ERA.
During Friday’s game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in mile-high Denver, the Dodgers bullpen turned a 9-1 laugher into a somewhat uncomfortable eventual 10-5 Dodgers win, with Stewart giving up three earned runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and Garcia two earned runs (on two solo home runs) in the bottom of the ninth. And while both of these guys are really great guys and are generally very effective, they both could use some time at Triple-A Oklahoma City to (hopefully) find their magic again.
And then there’s Joe Kelly, who the Dodgers signed to a 3-year / $25 million contract (with a club option for 2022) this past off-season. In his 3.1 innings pitched thus far this season, the 2018 World Series hero has allowed six runs on seven hits (including two home runs) for an ugly 16.20 ERA. And while his contract will undoubtedly prevent him from ‘finding his magic’ at OKC, he could very well see some time on the Injured List … if you get my drift. In fact, a trip to the IL might even happen as early as Saturday.
Allow me to explain:
In the bottom of the ninth inning on Friday, Kelly took a line-drive comebacker into his glove that apparently forced his glove into his right (pitching) hand. The 30-year-old Anaheim, California native managed to complete the 1-3 putout, but was forced to leave the game. And even though X-rays came back negative and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts proclaimed that Kelly would not miss any playing time, this might be an excellent time for Kelly to ‘find his magic’ again … if you get my drift.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)
Play Ball!
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Another game that got scary at the end. The Dodgers’ once brilliant bullpen doesn’t look too good lately. Here’s hoping that picks up and improves before the offense goes quite. Aside from that bad note, it’s good to see the team off to a very good start.
It’s been bothering me for a few hours so let me get it off my chest. The word “quiet”. I mistakenly typed in “quite”
I think you were the only one who worried about it. It was obvious what you meant. Anybody who’s never made a tpyo has a right to complain.
Long ago I used to write stories. I found I had a problem with mixing the R and O in “from”. Problem was the error made another word so the spell checker didn’t catch it. My solution: I rarely used the word “form” so I deleted it from the dictionary.
I know the bullpen is a concern, but for now I’m going to keep the rose colored glasses on and enjoy this outburst of offense, especially Bellinger’s fast start. The stat of his I’m most impressed with is only 5 strikeouts in 38 plate appearances.
I’ve never been much of a rose-colored-glasses guy, Will (35 years as a cop will do that to you), but I, too, am thoroughly enjoying the historic run that our beloved Dodgers are on.
Whereas I thought Turner Ward was a pretty good hitting coach, Robert Van Scoyoc is an absolute genius with these guys! He is, in my opinion, THE best acquisition of the off-season for the Dodgers … bar none.
I also liked Turner Ward, but Robert Van Scoyoc has them firing on all cylinders. Great job Robert. Also props to all the Dodger players who worked hard with him this off-season.
Agreed, Robert has to be the best off-season acquisition by far! Only thing close is the off-season NON-acquisitions. I am really happy that Hernandez and Barnes were given the opportunity to shine. Both look like potential all-stars.
Now if Kike can work on his counting.
Also impressive is the Dodgers team BA of .356 with RISP and .389 RISP 2 out. They’ve always done poorly in those categories in past seasons.
Luckily it is April and not September. Once Kershaw and Hill are back, Urias and Stripling will likely shift to the pen. It’s the standard “small sample size” caveat for relievers. They’re the most difficult team component to project and create as year to year fluctuations can be drastic. The talent is available, and I think better team defense (especially in the outfield) will help the pitching rebound.
Definitely agree with your prognosis. I followed both Brock and Yimi up through the minors and know that it’s in there, they just need a little tweaking. But Chavez Ravine (etc.) is not the place for it, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark is.
My guess is that the Dodgers are trying to hold out until Hill and Kershaw return before making any reassignments. As you noted and as Roberts has already acknowledged, Urias and Stripling will head to the pen when Hill and Kershaw return. That is undoubtedly when any bullpen moves will be made.
I just hope that the Dodgers offense keeps on knocking the crap out of the ball until then.
Great reply. Thanks Drew.