When the Los Angeles Dodgers secured their postseason berth, there were many doubts about how the team would fare against heavyweights such as the Philadelphia Phillies or the Milwaukee Brewers. But what undoubtedly caused the most uncertainty was the behavior of the bullpen in the event of a high-risk and high-pressure situation such as the road to the World Series
However, Dave Roberts, the team’s manager, seems to have found the right formula for his team to look impressive and maintain seven wins in eight games played during the 2025 MLB postseason.
What has been the solution to the Dodgers’ inefficient bullpen in the postseason?
The Dodgers changed their mindset with their postseason appearance, during their seven victories in this instance, their starters have been the ones who have carried the weight of the mound. Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow have combined efforts to pitch 48.1 innings with just six earned runs allowed, which translates to a collective ERA of 1.12.
Even their sixth starter, Roki Sasaki, who has changed roles since that appearance, had a solid six-inning start with a 1.50 ERA. This rotation has taken a weight off Dave Roberts’ shoulders, as he no longer worries about how his bullpen will work, as so far he hasn’t needed it because his starters are getting the job done and looking imposing.
Dodgers make history in first two games of National League Championship Series
Dave Roberts’ formula worked in the Wild Card Series against the Cincinnati Reds and then in the Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, but then came the doubt of whether they could repeat what they had done previously against the best team in Major League Baseball 2025 and at their stadium, American Family Field.
However, the Dodgers did not back down and the first to make his appearance was Blake Snell for Game 1 and pitched eight innings, allowed one hit and struck out 10 opponents to be relieved by Roki Sasaki, who allowed a run and Dave Roberts decided to bring in Blake Treinen to seal the 2-1 victory.
In the second game, it was the turn of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a Japanese starter who pitched the entire game, all 27 outs were his, allowing three hits, receiving one run and striking out seven. This gave the Dodgers their second victory to take the lead. This was how these two starters entered the MLB history books as two starters who pitched eight or more innings in consecutive postseason games since Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum did so in 2010 with the Giants.
Now the Dodgers hope the formula will continue to pay off and work at home when the series resumes on October 16 at 6:08 pm (ET) from Dodger Stadium when Tyler Glasnow takes the mound with the task of continuing the good performances.
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