The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered their seventh defeat of the season on Sunday against the San Diego Padres, with pitching emerging as a notable factor in their loss.
Starting pitcher James Paxton had a challenging outing, lasting five innings while giving up three hits, three runs, and a career-high eight walks.
The bullpen encountered difficulties as well during Sunday’s game, contributing to a total of 14 walks for the Dodgers, marking their highest walk count in a single game since 1962.
While there was some improvement in bullpen performance during the series against the Washington Nationals, concerns persist for the Dodgers early in the season. Despite this, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts maintains confidence in the bullpen’s potential.
“This was definitely not a good one. But I think overall, there have been many positives, with the bullpen covering a lot of innings. It’s tough when you reflect on a couple of pitches we wish we could take back. The walks are hard to swallow. But we have a lot of faith in the guys we have. Their track records speak volumes. We just need to be more consistent.”
A closer examination of the stats shows that the Dodgers currently rank 18th in the league in team bullpen ERA, sitting at 4.32. Previously, they were even lower, ranking in the 20s before the current week.
Complicating matters is the absence of key bullpen players like Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen, who are still recovering from injuries. However, the Los Angeles Dodgers are relying on healthy players to step up until the bullpen reaches full strength later in the season.
