Dodgers shutout of Padres reveals potential (and unexpected) playoff strength

Last year, the Dodgers hardly used their bullpen in the playoffs.This year, they would like that to once again be the blueprint.In their bid to three-peat as World Series champions, of course, the Dodgers are expected to be led by their star-studded rotation.Shohei Ohtani isn’t pitching, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are.And if all goes according to plan, they will handle the bulk of the innings.However, replicating the starting pitching excellence of last October won’t be easy.

A season ago, the Dodgers’ four-man rotation of Ohtani, Yamamoto, Snell and Glasnow accounted for 113 of the team’s 165 postseason innings (including relief appearances from Glasnow and Yamamoto).Together, they posted a 2.55 ERA.It was historic production.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story Which also means, it’s fair to assume some regression will be possible –– both in workload and effectiveness.Thus, having more reliable bullpen options this time around could be equally important for the Dodgers.

And while that might have felt like a daunting reality earlier this year, when the unit was banged up and struggling through the middle portion of the campaign, Tuesday night was a reminder that the relief corps could be a strength in this fall’s title pursuit.In a XX-XX win over the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers were not supposed to have the pitching matchup –– countering Padres ace Michael King with a makeshift bullpen game in a rivalry series opener at Dodger Stadium.Instead, eight different Dodgers relievers held the previous red-hot Padres at bay.Several arms who once seemed like question marks continued to round into increasingly promising form.It started with opener Brock Stewart, a key right-handed weapon in the Dodgers’ bul...