At least, that’s how it appears when it comes to holding leads provided by the offense or a starting pitcher. Dave Roberts‘ relief pitching staff not only squandered the run differential they had but also ruined an outstanding start by Shohei Ohtani.
With this bullpen, they can’t compete
It was the first time Shohei Ohtani pitched six innings, allowing only five hits with no runs scored against him. Most impressively, he struck out eight batters against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
For seven innings, the Dodgers held the lead on the scoreboard, until the relief pitchers came in, let the advantage slip away, and cost Ohtani the win. One of the most criticized was Tanner Scott.
Tanner Scott has a 4.91 ERA and blew his 10th save opportunity. I can only imagine trusting this pitcher to close out a Game 7 for the championship-it’s a terrifying thought.
“Well, I kind of just have the (to heck with it) attitude right now,”Scott said after the game in Arizona. “I don’t know. I’m just trying to go out there right now and not think. Just say, ‘(Screw) it.'”
Tanner Scott is one of three elite relievers who collectively earn $42.5 million. Tanner Scott (4.91 ERA, 10 blown saves), Blake Treinen (5.55 ERA, 4 losses in his last 5 appearances), and Kirby Yates (5.23 ERA, 9 earned runs in his last 10 innings pitched).
In their last four games, Scott has faced the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies, holding them scoreless in all those outings. Since adopting his new mindset, he has pitched two scoreless relief innings. He’s lowered his ERA from 5.01 to 4.64 over his last four games.
The reality is that with an uncompetitive bullpen and the way they lost the first game of the series against Arizona, winning in the postseason seems impossible, which must be deeply concerning for Dave Roberts.
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