What Should the Dodgers’ Bullpen Look Like?

Aug 4, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco (7) runs the bases after hitting a grand slam home run during the seventh inning against Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Joel Peralta (62) at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

If you were in a coma last week, I envy you.

If not, you’ve probably seen the Dodgers bullpen and wondered whether you were watching the same team from last year. The bullpen hasn’t been good lately.

This became even more prevalent over the weekend against Pittsburgh and especially on Sunday night, when Jim Johnson and Joel Peralta gave up nine runs in the seventh inning, that saw the Dodgers 5-3 lead turn into a 12-5 deficit. It’s been a little better of late, as Yimi Garcia, Luis Avilan and Kenley Jansen have combined for four shutout innings over the last two days. It’s remarkable how much better the bullpen looks when they only need to get through a couple innings.

Honestly, the bulk of the bullpen hasn’t been THATTT bad. It’s not like they need a complete overhaul. But still, let’s play around with this. Assume that the Dodgers have seven reliever slots to go with their five starters, giving them 12 pitchers and 13 position players. Let’s try to build a bullpen that can keep fans happy heading into the playoff stretch.

Disclaimer. I don’t love looking at pitchers’ ERAs. The whole inherited runs thing kinda devalues that for me. My important reliever stats include WHIP, H/9, HR/9, BB/9 andK/9. Saves are dumb too.

Next: Thank you captain obvious