The Dodgers’ bullpen has been a headache at times this season, but the bigger picture looks a lot less grim than the latest blown save might suggest.
Tanner Scott’s blown save against the Miami Marlins on Sunday landed hard because it came so close to the finish line. But it also marked the first blown save for the Dodgers in almost two weeks, with the previous one coming from Scott on Sept.
- The rough patch stands out more because of how ugly August was, when the Dodgers coughed up seven saves, including five in the span from Aug. 7 through Aug.
That kind of stretch can distort the view. In May, the Dodgers nearly went the entire month without a blown save, with the lone one coming on May 30. So while the recent misses have been frustrating, they don’t tell the whole story of the season.
In fact, this has been a step forward compared with the last two years. In 2024, the Dodgers were tied for the third-worst team in blown saves, finishing the regular season with 29. In 2025, they were slightly better but still finished tied for seventh-worst with 27 blown saves, which put them in the bottom quarter of MLB.
This year, though, the number is down to 21 total blown saves. Outside of August, the Dodgers have only blown 14 saves all season. That 21 figure leaves them tied for 16th in MLB, right in the middle of the pack, and their save percentage of 67.2% is a clear improvement over the 63.3% and 63% marks from 2024 and 2025.
So no, the Dodgers are not suddenly a shutdown bullpen. But they also aren’t the disaster some of the most recent moments make them look like. Given how often this team wins and how many save chances it creates, a two-thirds success rate carries a little more weight than it might elsewhere.
The real question is what that means once October arrives.
Before Monday, Edgardo Henriquez looked like a strong candidate to handle the ninth inning. Dodgers Nation’s Nelson Espinal even pointed to him as the best choice, writing, “His fastball is one of the best in baseball, and his velocity ranks at the top next to the hardest throwers,” Espinal wrote. “Add in a mid-90s cutter, a sinker, and a slider as well, and Henriquez has a devastating pitch mix that can keep batters off balance.”
But Henriquez was placed on the injured list Monday with “low back discomfort,” and he won’t be available until the playoffs are already underway.
That leaves Dave Roberts with a familiar problem: the choices are there, but none of them feel clean. Scott has taken on most of the closing work, though Sunday reminded everyone how volatile that can be. Edwin Diaz, who signed a $69 million deal before the season, was supposed to be the answer, but injuries and a rough rehab stint in the minors have clouded his status enough that Roberts said Diaz could miss the postseason roster if his performance doesn’t improve.
Roki Sasaki could move to the bullpen in the playoffs, which opens another possibility. So could Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen or Jack Dreyer. But the uncertainty is the same no matter which name comes up.
The Dodgers do not have a closer problem that comes with an easy answer. They have a trust problem, and that’s the part that gets harder to solve as the postseason gets closer. If Roberts gets it right, it could be the difference between a short October and a third straight title.
In Other News...
Dodgers Bullpen Just Took A Brutal Hit At The Worst Time
The Dodgers relief depth took another hit when Edgardo Henriquez landed on the 15-day injured list with low back discomfort, a move that ends his regular season. It was the kind of late-season setback Los Angeles can least afford, especially with the bullpen already in flux and every available arm carrying extra importance down the stretch.
To fill Henriquezs spot, the Dodgers recalled Bobby Miller to the active roster, another sign of how aggressively they are trying to keep the pitching staff pieced together. The roster churn did not stop there, either, as Emmet Sheehan was optioned and Paul Gervase was also brought back earlier in the day, leaving the club to keep sorting through its bullpen options with the calendar working against it. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Bullpen Picture Is Turning Against Edwin Daz Fast
Edwin Dazs path back to the Dodgers has not gone the way anyone hoped, and the timing makes it especially frustrating with October approaching. After working through rehab outings in Oklahoma City, the right-hander has been slowed by injuries, including neck inflammation, and the latest signs point away from a late postseason return for Los Angeles.
Kris Bubic, meanwhile, is giving the organization a more encouraging bullpen storyline from Triple-A, turning in scoreless innings with a strong strikeout rate as he moves through his own assignment. The bigger picture in the system has some positives too, from Jake Gelofs modern-era Tulsa home run record to the Drillers playoff push with reinforcements arriving, but for the Dodgers the immediate concern is still how quickly the relief mix can solidify without counting on Daz. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Create An October Dilemma With Surprising Pitching Decision
The Dodgers made a noteworthy pitching move ahead of their series against the Reds, optioning right-hander Emmet Sheehan to Triple-A even after a run of strong recent outings. In his place, the club added Paul Gervase as a fresh bullpen arm, a decision that suggests Los Angeles is leaning on immediate roster flexibility as the calendar pushes deeper into October territory.
Emmet Sheehans demotion also creates a wrinkle for the Dodgers pitching plans going forward, since he cannot return before the end of the regular season unless another player is injured. For a team trying to line up arms with the postseason in view, losing that kind of depth, even temporarily, adds another layer of intrigue to how the staff will be managed over the final stretch. [Read more 🡒]