Blake Treinen pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers; CC by License 2.0
The 2024 MLB Postseason has been nothing short of awesome. We baseball fans have been extremely lucky to see teams like the Royals and Tigers go on runs to play in October for the first time in years. In fact, both of those teams made it to their respective division series, taking down “powerhouses” in the Orioles and Astros. The drama in October ‘24 has been turned all the way up. The NLDS between the Padres and Dodgers was just about as perfect as it could get from a fan’s perspective, going the full five games with the rivalry on full display. Dave Roberts even had a ball thrown in his direction by former Dodger Manny Machado between innings (which was later admitted by Roberts to have been blown out of proportion to light a fire under the team).
Focusing on this 2024 Dodgers team is absolutely worth doing. Heading into the postseason, LA was thought of as having the weakest group of pitching out of all of the teams in October. Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Gavin Stone, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Brusdar Graterol, and most famously, Shohei Ohtani, are not even all of the pitching injuries that the Dodgers have had to deal with all season. None of the guys above have thrown a single pitch in this year’s postseason, with the majority of them not contributing on the mound in any significant way at all this season. Still, the Dodgers have played like the Dodgers and found a way to get out of the Division Series for the first time since 2021. In fact, between game 3 of the NLDS through game 1 of the NLCS, the Dodgers pitching staff tied the MLB record for most consecutive scoreless innings at 33.
In a turn of events that made every fan of the game question their ball knowledge, the Dodgers pitching rose to the occasion, tying a record in the process. But how, and who is doing the heavy lifting on the mound? Well, the short answer? Pretty much everyone.
In game 4 of the NLDS, Dave Roberts deployed eight pitchers out of his bullpen to shut out San Diego on the road 8-0. Roberts has been criticized in the past for overmanaging games. However, this performance may have saved his job with the Dodgers for at least one more season. Going into enemy territory, especially in a place like San Diego, and managing a shutout with just bullpen guys is something that would make the World Series DVD if this team were to make it all the way through October. Their offense is clearly capable of putting up crooked numbers, even with Freddie Freeman playing with one good leg. If the Dodgers want a chance at having that DVD made, they are going to need to have their pitching staff continue to shine.
The name of the game for LA in this postseason has been stringing together scoreless innings. Their starting pitching has not been the prime example of this, but one Jack Flaherty has been stellar in his 12.1 innings in October. Flaherty came over from Detroit at this year’s trade deadline. It was clear that the Dodgers were going to need to add starting pitching, and Flaherty was the most obvious answer. This move would prove to be valuable for both Detroit and LA as both teams ended up making the postseason. Jack Flaherty’s performance in October has been a cornerstone in their success so far. In 12.1 innings, Flaherty has a 2.92 ERA with 8 strikeouts and a 0.81 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched). That last number stands out, as not allowing baserunners is perhaps the most important thing in October. Flaherty’s most recent start came against the Mets in game 1 of the NLCS. Flaherty hurled 7 innings of scoreless ball giving up just 2 hits and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts against a Mets team whose offense has been on a tear in October. After this 9-0 shutout, the Dodgers tied the record introduced above, and Dave Roberts’ managerial abilities shined again as he let Flaherty pitch a full 7 innings (although the decision to let him continue to pitch was certainly easier with the type of lead the Dodgers had). Flaherty will have to continue his run of dominance if the Dodgers want any sort of chance to make the Fall Classic in a few weeks here.
Continuing the theme of trade-deadline acquisitions (particularly from the AL Central) making an impact for LA, Michael Kopech has been lights out since joining the Dodger pitching staff from the White Sox. Kopech was able to move across the country, leaving the record-setting White Sox, and dominate out of the bullpen. Kopech has always been a high-ceiling type of pitcher. He has a fastball that reaches 102 mph and some devastating secondary pitches that will have any professional hitter lost in the batter’s box. Credit to the Dodgers’ pitching coaches, as they seem to have unlocked something in Kopech that wasn’t there when he was a member of the White Sox. What has impressed the most out of the 28-year-old righty is his ability to enter the game at any point and fire a scoreless inning. He has come in during the 3rd, 8th, and 9th inning during his 4 games pitched in the postseason. He has yet to allow a run, collecting 5 strikeouts along the way. Like Flaherty, Kopech has limited baserunners in his innings with a 0.90 WHIP. It feels like Michael Kopech and the next reliever featured will be the two most important pieces of the Dodger bullpen moving forward into October. Alex Vesia, one of the best left-handed options out of the bullpen in all of baseball, has been shut down for the foreseeable future, making the innings that Kopech pitches that much more important.
Blake Treinen has been a monster out of every bullpen he has been a part of his entire career. He has a career 2.78 ERA and an impressive 1.93 mark from his time during the 2024 regular season. However, in non-Treinen fashion, his previous experience in the postseason has been less than ideal. In 27 career games pitched, he sports a 4.30 ERA with just 28 strikeouts in his 29.1 innings. This postseason has been different for Blake. Like Kopech, Treinen has not given up a run and has collected 2 saves in his 3 games pitched. But unlike Kopech and Flaherty, Treinen has run into some trouble with allowing baserunners with a 1.36 WHIP. This number will have to deflate if the Dodgers continue to rely on Treinen as their closer in October. The higher mark in WHIP does suggest some luck involved in Treinen’s success, but it also goes to show that he can rely on his nasty pitching weapons to get through. Rewriting his postseason narrative one inning at a time, Treinen’s dominant run, along with the two guys above, has indeed been essential for the Dodgers’ chances this October. It seems like this team’s bullpen has found an identity. They have proven everyone wrong so far, and seem poised to continue to surprise Dodger doubters across the U.S.
As a Giants fan, I figured I would never write praising the Dodgers for their success, much less their success in the postseason. However, the almost unbelievable defiance of the labels attached to their pitching staff has truly sparked my interest as well as fans of the sport as a whole. The Dodgers are in the best situation they could ask for right now, heading to New York with a 1-1 series split with the Mets. If this team makes the World Series, be on the lookout for the performances of the athletes above to have drastically influenced their odds of getting a ring.
