If the Dodgers Have an Achilles Heel, It’s Their Bullpen
Mired in a prolonged cold stretch, the Dodgers’ bullpen has played a major role in their recent struggles.
On paper, the Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the most talented rosters ever assembled. Yet, from the way they’ve been playing lately, you might not guess that.
In the wake of their 2025 World Series championship, the already loaded Dodgers committed early to their three-peat ambitions. They acquired the services of the two top free agents on the market: outfielder Kyle Tucker and closer Edwin Díaz.
As if this wasn’t enough, they pursued the biggest name available at this year’s trade deadline, bringing reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal to Los Angeles. Despite their embarrassment of riches, the Dodgers have been locked into an aberrant cold stretch.
After a dominant first half that saw the Dodgers go 61-36, they have stumbled out to a 16-15 record since the All-Star break. This includes a brutal seven-game losing streak in early August that saw opponents outscore the Dodgers 41-25.
There are a number of factors contributing to this skid. The offense hasn’t shown up with as much force as it did through the early summer. Their starting rotation has also been hampered by injury and underperformance alike.
Even so, the bullpen has arguably been the biggest contributor to the Dodgers’ recent struggles. They put together a solid first half, but their vulnerabilities began to show themselves around the beginning of summer.
Injuries have knocked out a number of the Dodgers’ options in the later innings. Aside from Tanner Scott and Edgardo Henriquez, those who have stayed healthy have largely struggled on the mound.
The Dodgers had looked forward to the return of the aforementioned Díaz from the injured list. Unfortunately for both parties, his return was both inauspicious and short-lived.
All stats taken prior to play on August 20.
An Unfortunate Metaphor
Díaz had a fairly strong start to the 2026 season. Over his first five outings as a Dodger, Díaz notched four saves and punched out eight batters, giving up just two hits and three walks.
Just a few days after his fifth outing, Díaz imploded against the Texas Rangers for three earned runs and a blown save. He gave up another three runs in his next outing a week and a half later and wound up on the injured list the next day.
Díaz wound up undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow. Upon his activation at the end of July, there was some acknowledgment that he may need some time to find his footing again. Nevertheless, his return has gone anything but smoothly.
So far on the year, Díaz owns an 11.85 ERA over his first 13.2 innings. He has recorded seven saves and blown four save opportunities. Díaz continues to record strikeouts at an elite level (12.51 K/9), but has struggled immensely with walks (6.59 BB/9) and home runs (1.98 HR/9).
Now, he’s back on the injured list yet again. After surrendering three runs against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night, Díaz was officially sidelined with neck inflammation.
His struggles have been somewhat emblematic of the bullpen’s second-half performance. As a unit, they’ve blown 11 out of 32 save opportunities dating back to June 1. Over that span, the Dodgers’ bullpen has recorded the 24th-best ERA (4.70), 24th-most innings (243.0), 22nd-best home run rate (1.30 HR/9), and the worst walk rate in MLB (4.78 BB/9).
Given the Dodgers have spent roughly $70.5 million on their bullpen this year, these results are rather alarming. So what gives?
Depleted Batteries
The poor performance of the Dodgers’ bullpen during this second half is shocking in and of itself, and is even more so in comparison to their strong start.
Leading up to June 1, they owned the 7th-best bullpen ERA (3.19). They also recorded the 4th-best strikeout rate (9.37 K/9), 6th-best walk rate (3.33 BB/9), and 3rd-best home run rate (0.68 HR/9) over that span.
Their performance also likely benefited from supplementary rest time, as they also threw the fewest innings (186.1) of any bullpen during that time. Despite this, the Dodgers’ bullpen still put up the fourth-most fWAR (3.1).
A few significant developments have thrown them off course in the time since. For one, they’ve gotten less length out of their starting rotation. Before June 1, the starting rotation had recorded the second-best ERA (3.05) and 2nd-most innings (342.2) in MLB.
Since then, those figures have fallen to the ninth-best ERA (3.93) and sixth-most innings (368.2). Put plainly, the Dodgers’ starters have mostly kept up on the innings front, but haven’t gotten the same quality of starts.
They’ve dealt with injuries to Shohei Ohtani and Justin Wrobleski over this span. The Dodgers have also lost both their primary and backup catchers in Will Smith and Dalton Rushing.
This has left the rotation stretched to thinner margins than the Dodgers would prefer to work around. The arrival of Skubal and Blake Snell’s return from the injured list help alleviate their depth concerns. Still, it will take more than reinforcements to get the Dodgers back on track.
The Only Way Out Is Through
Much has been said about how the strength of a bullpen can make or break a team’s postseason run. But what happens when a bullpen’s wheels seem to fall off six weeks from October?
Barring utter catastrophe, the Dodgers will almost certainly make the playoffs. Even with their recent cold stretch, they own a 77-51 record and hold a nine-game lead in the NL West. But their underperformance has allowed the Milwaukee Brewers to claim sole possession of the top seed in the National League, with the Cubs and Braves trailing close behind.
There are a number of factors that are likely to change as we approach the postseason. For one, the Dodgers expect both Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani to return to the starting rotation sometime soon, further shoring up the rotation.
On top of this, rosters expand within the next two weeks, allowing them to bring on further reinforcements. The Dodgers’ moves within the margins will likely help them improve, but ultimately the team will simply need to figure it out.
The Dodgers’ lineup, which had been arguably the best in baseball during the first half, will need to return to form. Given they’ve scored 24 runs over their past three games, they may have found something already (though Coors Field may have skewed those results).
Beyond all else, the Dodgers’ attention will be on their bullpen. Regardless of whether they get relief in the form of more run support or greater length from the starting rotation, one thing has become clear: the only way out of this stretch is through it.
Dodgers’ closer Tanner Scott put it best following their narrow 7-6 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night. “Just one pitch at a time, just keep battling,” he said when asked about his approach coming in for a four-out save opportunity.
“Tomorrow’s a new day. Got to win another one.”
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Written by
Ryan Murphy is a contributing writer for Just Baseball and graduate of James Madison University. The former Southern California native is an avid fan of the…