Dave Roberts’s bullpen mismanagement ruins the Dodgers’ postseason

Reliever instability

Dave Roberts struggles to manage a bullpen that fails to protect leads during the National League Championship Series. The Milwaukee Brewers took a 5-4 victory on Thursday after the Los Angeles Dodgers relief corps allowed a three-run, five-hit rally in the ninth. Edwin Diaz blew his third save in four appearances, surrendering four consecutive one-out singles to the Brewers. Diaz carries an 11.57 ERA and a 2-2 record following his return from elbow surgery. He gave up eight runs and 12 hits in just seven appearances since returning to the mound last month. Roberts told reporters he lacks other options to handle high-leverage innings. I find his lack of a contingency plan for Diaz’s continued struggles completely unacceptable. The team lost nine of its last 13 games because the relief staff crumbled. The Dodgers led in all four games of this series, but the bullpen allowed Milwaukee to claw back every time. The Brewers’ pitchers, particularly their loaded bullpen, carved their way through the Dodgers’ lineup all series. This instability comes after Diaz signed a three-year, $69 million contract with a $23 million annual salary to fix the closer position. The offensive struggle of the lineup makes these bullpen failures even more costly. Shohei Ohtani finished the series 3-for-13, while Mookie Betts went 3-for-15 and Freddie Freeman managed only one hit in 14 at-bats.

The lack of reliable depth

The Dodgers bullpen contains no reliable alternatives to Edwin Diaz. Tanner Scott earned 16 saves earlier this year, but his performance declined in recent weeks. Evan Phillips carries a 5.63 ERA after returning from Tommy John surgery, and he allowed home runs at a 3.38 rate. Alex Vesia maintains a 4.35 ERA and allowed home runs at a 1.74 rate over 10 innings. Will Klein, who dealt with loose bodies in his right elbow, posted a 16.20 ERA during a disastrous second half. These numbers show a massive gap in the relief corps. Roberts lacks a dependable arm to turn to when Diaz fails. Even when considering a closer-by-committee strategy, the lack of consistency among the rest of the staff makes that move difficult.

The Dodgers bullpen is eighth in MLB with a 4.86 ERA and eighth with a 4.69 FIP, a statistic that results in the team sitting in a lowly 20th position in fWAR at 0.20. The bullpen failures magnified the pressure on a lineup that has not won by more than two runs since July 19. You see the frustration in Roberts’s eyes every time the ninth inning arrives. The Dodgers signed Diaz to a $69 million contract to provide stability, yet he remains the central figure in this mess. Will the Dodgers find a way to stabilize these arms before the World Series?

Starters and workload limits

Workload management for Yoshinobu Yamamoto complicates Roberts’s relief decisions. Yamamoto remained unavailable for Game 4 of the NLCS against the Brewers. His usage in the 2025 World Series reached extreme levels when he threw 235 total pitches. In Game 7 of that series, Yamamoto threw 34 pitches to finish the game. He allowed one hit, one walk, and one strikeout over 2 2/3 scoreless innings. A 96.7 mph fastball hit a batter to load the bases. He threw 210 total pitches in 2025. Researchers use acute-chronic workload ratio (ACWR) to monitor injury risk. A spike in workload exceeding 20% of a pitcher’s 28-day average creates a redline for upper-body injury risk. Roberts must balance the need for fresh relief against the long-term health of his rotation. The Dodgers rely on starters like Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell to pitch deep, but the bullpen cannot be expected to cover every inning. If Yamamoto or other starters require more rest, the burden falls on a depleted relief staff. I believe Roberts’s inability to prepare for these scenarios remains the primary reason for this postseason collapse.