Is the Bull ____ Out of the Pen?

Posted By on June 22, 2023

The Dodgers Twitter feed summed it all up: What a Performance! The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya also had an excellent piece on the Bullpen, and how they all realize this bull has to stop. It’s way soon to pronounce them “fixed,” but in the past two games, the Dodgers’ beleaguered bullpen has put up ten consecutive shutout innings! The talent is there – it was a lack of execution, or maybe it was pitch sequencing. Dodgerpatch wrote a comment yesterday that was insightful:

This is actually a pretty insightful article. Essentially the Dodgers have the same personnel as they did last year, when their bullpen was generally excellent. The fastball velocity hasn’t dropped for each of these pitchers. I presume their command hasn’t declined so much that it would account for just how poor their performances have been. That they are as collectively bad as they are after being as good as they were is almost statistically impossible. It cannot be explained by just a decline in “stuff.” The stuff really hasn’t declined. So, why?

I noted once when watching Vesia getting beaten like a rented mule that his pitches actually weren’t bad. I saw one particular high fastball right on the upper end of the strike zone, if not slightly above it, get ripped for a hard line drive and it perplexed me. I was thinking, “that was actually a good pitch!” It seemed odd. This whole bullpen implosion seems odd.

Mark Prior is not a wizard. People were somehow expecting him to add 3 ticks to Syndergaard’s fastball. His talent was making minor tweaks to arm angles to get a little more command here, a little more rise there; but his real gift was sequencing. He developed a system that worked. The problem is, it’s a system, and as a system it can become predictable.

I dunno. Smarter more informed people than we fans probably have some more insight, but I think the possibility that other teams have cracked the Prior code and the book is out is as good a theory as any.

This was how the relief corps ranked last year. What is going on?

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?

Now, they just need to keep it up! Brasier has good potential to also thrive in this bullpen and Daniel Hudson will be back soon – He pitched again last night, going 1 inning, allowing no hits or walks and striking out 1. He might return as soon as Friday!

Miguel Vargas has been struggling this year – learning a new position, two hand injuries, and not being able to swing a bat may have messed him up, but this is a no-excuse league. He was mired in a 1 for 31 slump when he hit an opposite-field home run last night and was absolutely “giddy as a schoolgirl.” Maybe this will get him going. Vargas had that “look” back and so did the bullpen. Confidence breeds success!

Godspeed Scott Hennessey

FROM MiLB.com/Tulsa

“Tulsa Drillers manager Scott Hennessey has announced that he will be taking a temporary, medical leave of absence. Hennessey has been diagnosed with a form of cancer and will begin treatments at the conclusion of the first-half of the season.

Doctors have identified his cancer as Stage 3, curable squamous cell carcinoma. Testing has revealed that it has not spread beyond the initial area in his neck, and his long-term prognosis is very good.

Hennessey will take the temporary leave of absence to undergo several weeks of chemotherapy treatment in either Tulsa or Los Angeles. During the process, he hopes to occasionally visit ONEOK Field when his treatments and condition allow.

“I would like to say thank you for the heartfelt words of support that have been extended to myself and my wife Deanne since my diagnosis,” said Hennessey. “I have felt a special bond with the city of Tulsa since my first day here. We not only have some of the best baseball fans in the country, but some of the best people. We are going to fight this battle with everything we have, and I plan on being back in the dugout very soon.”

Hennessey is currently in his sixth season as Drillers manager and has been with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 17 years.“

In Conclusion…

Every year, and I mean EVERY YEAR, I hear it from some naysayers that the Dodgers do not have the players to win and EVERY YEAR (Since AF arrived) I say they do. I am saying the same thing this year. I do not see the Dodgers taking on additional big salaries (like Marcus Stroman and I am not sure the Cubs will trade him anyway), but they may make a tweak or two. Don’t discount Kole Calhoun or David Dahl. David Peralta is playing the way I expected. This team is most certainly playoff bound. WATCH AND LEARN!

This article has 62 Comments

  1. For me this season was the first since AF arrived that I predicted that this roster does not have enough for a WS title
    Last two days were nice wins with a superb rebound by the entire bullpen but I need to see more of that to change my outlook.
    That oppo homer by Vargas showed what a beast at the plate he CAN be. Needs to show it more often. A lot more often. But it was a start.

    3 game series vs the cheaters will show if the bullpen success of the last two games was only a flash in the pan or the return of the Yedi pen..:-)

    Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    1. Mark, you say you don’t see AF taking on Stroman’s salary. I don’t think he’d have any problem whatsoever with that but I’m not at all sure he would spend the prospect capital. His price goes up every time he pitches.

  2. How long will our incredible pitching staff have to carry this deadbeat offense?!!!! As bad as it’s been, if you had to put your entire retirement savings on one team to win the West, how could it not be the Dodgers. Both the Giants and Diamondbacks are punching above their weight class and don’t have the depth. And Pads are losers!

    1. We heard that about the Giants two years ago too. Punching above their weight, overachieving. 107 wins of overachieving.
      At the beginning of the season I said the Dodgers will go as far as their pitching takes them.
      So far the offense has kept the team above water, soring runs at the top of the league which is surprsing looking at the numbers of their hitters. So many Mendoza line candidates as never before on a Dodgers team that I can remember.
      But lately the offense has slowed down and the record shows it. Pitching has to step up. Big time.
      I hope Roberts has finally decided for Phillipps to be the full time closer.

      Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!11

  3. I don’t get why you want a 9th inning closer. Say you’re up by one in the. 8th inning and the heart of their lineup is due. I’d rather have my best arm, Phillips face them and bring in another guy for the 9th. Right now we just don’t have a 1A to support Phillips. It worked out last night with Ferguson but I would have reversed it. We really need Vargas and Outman to figure it out to make 2nd half run.

    1. I prefer clear defined roles in the pen.
      Some guys are just not made for the 9th inning drama that comes with closing games. Phillpss is, Graterol and Ferguson the jury still out on them.
      Ferguson or Graterol depending on matchups in the 8th until Hudson and /or Treinen come back.

      Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!1

      1. I kinda like the idea of matching up the pitcher to the situation in the 7th, 8th and 9th in theory. But I’m not sure it’s working in practice. While not looking up any stats to support my assumption, Phillips seems to be the best high leverage guy and there is something to be said for a guy who thrives with the 9th inning pressure. The jury is still out for me on the match up idea.

    2. Human nature values recognition. When a club gives a pitcher the role of closer, it is a form of recognition. But yes, sometime you need your best bull pen piece in the 8th.

  4. I don’t know how the offense forgot who the hell they are but hopefully those that lost that ‘ just give me the chance’ attitude rediscover that they do in fact have the answer in themselves. I think we can chalk it up to growing pains and now the W’s are gonna reign.

  5. The Dodgers may be playoff bound, but it’s interesting that they win two games 2-0 and suddenly all is right with the world.

    The bullpen had two good games. It still has an ERA of 4.88, WHIP of 1.355, OPS against of .749, BAA of .255.

    In June, the team is hitting .230/.312/.383/.695 and in 17 games have scored 74 runs (4.35 R/G). All hitters except Betts, Freeman and Peralta have OPS under .800. All except those three plus Smith and Martinez are below .700. Our vaunted rookies are OPSing in June
    Outman – .539
    Vargas – .614
    DeLuca – .465
    Busch – .412

    The starting pitchers are averaging 5.05 IP/G on the season.
    Kershaw – 5.9 IP/G
    Syndergaard – 4.6
    Urias – 5.5
    Gonsolin – 5.2
    Miller – 5.6
    Grove – 4.3

    Dodgers are 10th in OPS+, 12 in most LOB, 21st in BA, (but 4th in R/G, because they are 3rd in HRs).

    They are 22nd in ERA+, 10th in WHIP, 16th in K/9.

    They are below average at 3B, SS, 2B and CF.

    In terms of WHIP, they have 8 players over 1.0 on the season. One is on the DL and may be out for the season (May). Only 3 are position players (Freeman, Betts and Smith). Vargas is .1. Outman is .6. DeLuca is -.3. So is Busch.

    This does not look like a championship team to me. If the season ended today, the Dodgers are not in the playoffs, even as a wild card.

    1. Don’t know if you’ve noticed any of my past comments but nothing negative came from me. I’ve stood the same since before the start of the season.

    2. “If the season ended today, the Dodgers are not in the playoffs, even as a wild card.”

      Actually, they would be. Marlins, Giants and Dodgers are the 3 wild card teams as of right now.

    3. Everything has been all right for me all season. I am undaunted by the losing streaks or 15-0 blowouts.

      This, too, shall pass.

  6. Loved seeing Vargas smack that ball last night! I believe he ends up over.260 when all is said and done. Wouldn’t mind seein Matt Chapman at 3rd next year, with Gavin at shortstop, Vargas at second. And if jd continues to produce the rest of the year, bring him back and send max elsewhere. Who knows where ohtani ends up! But if he wants to be a dodger, he’s probably taking less money to wear dodger blue. I don’t think there’s a chance urias resigns if ohtani signs. Miller, may, ohtani,gonsolin, Kershaw, Sheehan? Could be lights out! I would sign him but not for 500 million!

      1. Pretty strong words from Striker Buehler:

        Lemme clarify just so nobody misunderstands. Miggy is gonna win a MVP and I love em. The swing is fantastic and he’s a better human. So stop with the and all that. That’s a huge swing from the kiddo!

        2. Great compliment from Buehler!
          Love to see teammates supporting each other like this, especially when Walker is injured yet still staying involved with the team.

  7. With the day off, check out the College World Series pitching match up tonight. 2 high 1st rounders on the bump. Paul Skenes from LSU and Rhett Lowdwe from Wake Forest should be a great watch.

    1. Good call Phil!
      Both starters were great, throwing 7 and 8 shutout innings, before LSU won 2-0 in 11 innings.
      Apparently both pitchers are likely to go in the top 7 of the draft.

      1. Glad you tuned in to the game RCD. That was some baseball game, huh? Kids can play.

          1. No kidding. Safety squeezes are usually indefensible but Tre found a way. Awesome hustle and execution. Game changing play

    1. I have been on that train all year!

      Most fans get caught up in the scores and stats – all they have is sight, which means that they miss what people with Vision have.

      I have said that Miguel Vargas will win a batting title, while Walker Buehler says he will win an MVP. He evidently has even more vision than me.

      Patience Grasshoppers!

      I said the same thing about Alex Verdugo nd he is currently Top Five in BA in the AL.

      OTOH, I was very high on Keibert Ruiz, and he is hitting .237 but is striking out at an 9% rate, which is incredible. I think he puts it together soon.

      1. Scores and stats are real. They tell you what has actually happened and not what you hope might happen.

          2. Oh yeah your vision. Your vision lol didn’t see my prediction/vision coming true that Vargas needed at least a half year in the minors or he would suck at the MLB level for at least a half year. He’s at the Mendoza line right now close enough to the half year point. Maybe I have vision. Yes you gave me crap for saying this in the offseason.

            You think you have a lot of vision and you have some vision but not a lot.

        2. “Scores and stats are real. They tell you what has actually happened and not what you hope might happen.”

          You’re exactly right dodgerrick.

  10. Maybe the Dodger offense did not forget how to hit, maybe they faced some damn good pitching. Ever think of that? They won last night, but Ohtani by himself struck out 12 and made them look silly doing it. Same kind of performance Koufax used to do a lot. All Ohtani got was an L. Astro’s are throwing 3 rookie pitchers at the Dodgers. And their records are almost exactly the same with the Dodgers having one more loss than Houston. Dodgers usually have some trouble with pitchers they have never seen. Tayler Scott traded to the Red Sox for cash.

  11. The folks that are big on Ohtani seem to think he might take a “discount” to become a Dodger. If he wanted discounts, why would he have Scott Boras as his agent. How many Boras clients have taken a lower offer to choose a certain team? I bet not many.

    1. Exactly. When asked about Ohtani, Trout said he thinks he is going to get between 5 and 600 million. He won’t get that from LA.

      1. Again, who knows how many years Ohtani will seek?
        He may want the highest AAV–he certainly deserves it–and would be OK with a 5-year or 6-year deal. (Let’s recall how AF overpaid for a low-character guy now pitching in Japan, giving him the then-highest AAV for pitchers over a 3-year deal.)
        Why would Ohtani settle for five or six years? Perhaps because he is supremely confident that he’d get even a bigger contract down the road. Why? Just look at how much the old farts Scherzer and Verlander are making.

        I don’t think Ohtani will accept a “discount” to play for the Dodgers. He’ll want what he deems to be a fair price. It could be millions less than what the Mets or ??? offer, because he doesn’t want to live in NY and he’d prefer to be with a winning organization. Marrying the popular Ohtani brand to the popular Dodgers brand could also enhance income streams beyond his contract.
        He’ll be making a ton of money no matter what. I expect he’ll be searching for a comfortable “fit,” which is what he found with the Angels.
        A lot of people have raised the potential of Ohtani getting injured at great cost. In addition to insurance to mitigate the risk, a contract can be structured to increase or decrease $$$. A few years ago, an injury kept him from pitching but he still DH’d.
        Somebody here scoffed at the notion that Ohtani may have a sense of loyalty that helps keep him with the Angels. What a cynical attitude. Haven’t we all felt loyalty to a team? Don’t we feel loyalty as fans?
        Plus, the Japanese culture and code of “bushido” places a high value on loyalty.
        This was easy to look up:
        Loyalty is the 2nd most important thing in life. The samurai should always be loyal to his master. The samurai should also believe his duty to protect his master is the meaning of life.

    2. I haven’t heard that phil jones, where did you hear it or read it?

      I’ve heard he wants to be on the West Coast. I’ve also heard the Dodgers are the front-runners.

      1. Strasburg signed for 7 years and $245 million after 2019 season. The $35 million per year was a record for a pitcher at the time, even though he had an injury history. In the 4 years since signing the contract, Strasburg has pitched only 9 games, 31 innings and has only 1 win! A recent article identified this as the worst contract in history. So no Boras and Strasburg did not give the Nats a hometown discount.
        Gerrit Cole signed for $324 million for 9 years and $36 million per year a week later. But Cole was two years younger without the injury history and coming off a Cy Young season with 20 wins.

        1. I’m referring to his 2016 contract, which he signed in May. He could have gotten more but he liked the way the Nats treated him when injured. His contract had an opt out that led to the contract you’re referring to.

    1. I’m glad he finally admits it.

      I still offer no forgiveness and still hope he gets dysentery.

      1. He only owned it at the surface. He omitted the fact that Astros still lied especially about the World Series games. And I can’t see Manfred didn’t know what he was doing. He just wanted the issue swept under the rug. I might have a little trouble with the big words but I can still read better than most.

  13. Last year the Dodgers hit .257. At this time last year Muncy was hitting about .150. Justin Turner was barely above .200 going by my memory. So at this time last year the Dodgers were probably hitting lower than .257.
    The Dodgers are hitting .239 now. They still have some who are underachieving but may improve. Peralta has improved to what you might expect. Rojas has improved considerably with room for more. Point being with a little more improvement or help at the trade deadline hitting could be on par with last year.
    The Dodgers could have 4 starters for the playoffs from the current roster or get some help at the deadline. Relievers are fickle. You never know when they will fizzle or when they can get hot unexpectedly. I’m sure there will be several new relievers on the roster by the trade deadline.
    What the Dodgers do depends on what management thinks its World Series chances are. If they think they have a 1 in 12 chance they will nibble around the edges. If they think the chance is 1 in 4 then they may go all in.

  14. Actually, I think I wrote that a couple of days ago. The Dodger bullpen has been much better the last two games. It’s obvious Mark Prior reads this blog, read my comment, and switched it up.

  15. I said in the offseason that the Bullpen’s sucess would depend on Hudson, Phillips, Almonte, Vesia. 1 is on the IL, 1 is doing good, 2 have sucked.

      1. It’s a small sample. I like bigger samples meaning the full season so far. Hudson’s return is going to help A LOT if he is the same Hudson.

        1. That is not the point, the point is they pitched better than they had in their previous outings, so maybe, just maybe they are turning things around.

    2. Graterol’s stats suggest he’s a roogy in the 3 batter minimum rule era. It’s better than being a loogy since there’s more RHB than LHB.

      Bickford’s stats suggest he sucks.

      Ferguson’s stats suggest he’s useful but not high leverage.

      S. Miller is a surprise to me.

      The rest that are being sent up and down, who cares they’re being sent up and down.

      1. Ferguson has been used in two high leverage situations back-to-back. Before this season, he was one of their more reliable relievers. Bickford has had a bad year. Relievers are seldom the same season to season, unless their names are Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman.

        1. Ferguson was lights out with an ERA under 2.00 before he had 4 bad games during a stretch ealry June.
          It looks like he has overcome that little dry spell. Many pitchers go threw such bad runs. Even the best. Look at Hader last year,

          Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      2. Eric,

        In a static world, you would be correct.

        With no regression and progression of players, just worship at the Temple of Fantasy Baseball.

        It will all be OK.

  16. Great win by the Dodgers on Wednesday and tremendous bullpen performance.
    Despite the struggles the last month, the Dodgers are on pace for 90 wins. Given all of the injuries so far, they are fortunate to still be in a playoff position. Every starting pitcher except Kershaw has been hurt and/or ineffective. Losing Urias, May, Gonsolin, Pepiot, Syndergard and Grove to injury would cripple most teams, especially when you consider Buehler is also hurt and Stone disappointed so far.
    The Lux injury was a huge setback, and Hudson injury hurt the bullpen also.
    In my view, the Dodgers success this season will be dependent on players returning from injury more than any mid season trades. The best pitchers that the Dodgers can add for the second half are Urias, May, Hudson, Pepiot and Buehler. If they can get 3-4 of these pitchers back and effective, the Dodgers will have a good playoff chance.

  18. I guess you can use stats to ‘prove’ any position. I wouldn’t use year to date wins to say that we are on pace for 90 wins. The team that was in first place is NOT the team on the field now. Its great to hope injured players will come back or Outman and Vargas will turn it around etc., etc. If we go by June’s record we might struggle to win 85

  20. #Dodgers Andrew Friedman said Ryan Pepiot has begun a throwing program at Camelback Ranch complex. Pepiot hasn’t pitched since spring training due to an oblique strain.

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