Dodgers: Three Major Storylines to Monitor Before the Postseason

The Dodgers are without a doubt in a class of their own. They lead the MLB in wins and are on pace to have the most wins in franchise history. Regardless of how the regular season has faired thus far, Dave Roberts intends on having the team focusing on finishing the regular season strong.

Dave Roberts is well on his way to winning his second consecutive manager of the year award in just his second full season as an MLB manager. Part of Roberts success has to deal with his relationship with his players and his ability to keep the players focused on the end goal.

Along the way, Dave Roberts has also done a fantastic job handling big time managerial decisions. When you put all this together with the incredible, this Dodger team has you get a projected win total of over 110 wins on the season.

That’s not to say the Dodgers should already be crowned the World Series Champions. The MLB season is a long grueling season, and we’ve seen it time and time before where the hottest team in October takes home the World Series trophy. Let’s take a look at a few storylines that Dodger fans should continue to monitor as the Dodgers hit the final six week stretch of the season.

Bullpen Workload

The Dodgers bullpen has been without a doubt one of the biggest storylines this season. The bullpen leads the NL in ERA (3.02), wins (24) and Batting Average Allowed (.211). Along with those major statistics, the club also has a league leading with a .271 OBP, .631 OPS and 74.51 Save Percentages.

The bullpen has been led by Kenley Jansen, Pedro Baez and most recently Brandon Morrow. Throughout the season role pitchers like Josh Fields, Luis Avilan, Ross Stripling and Grant Dayton have all contributed to the success. The bullpen is now compiled of nine different relievers and has now pitched 290 innings this season.

That’s may be a growing concern. We’ve seen Dave Roberts keep starters on a short leash for the greater part of the season, resulting in a significant workload for the primary relievers like Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen, as they each have appeared in 50 games.

Last season Pedro Baez appeared in 73 games and pitched 74 innings, while Jansen appeared in 71 games and pitched 68 2/3 innings. This season both players are on pace to surpass those numbers. Jansen currently has pitched 52 1/3 innings, while Baez has pitched 49 2/3 innings. These two have been the back bone of the Dodgers bullpen and to see their workload continue to pile up is concerning.

Dave Roberts will continue to utilize the bullpen as it is one of the biggest strength the team has. The team could look to spread out the bullpen responsibilities when rosters expand come September, but for now, it’s worth noting that the bullpen has worked hard this season. Come the last month of the season; I’d like to see Roberts limit the amount of four to six out saves that Jansen has been asked to do this season. At least for the moment, the Dodgers have a good thing going with Morrow, Baez and Jansen at the back of the ‘pen. Let’s just hope they’re not overworked and don’t implode come October. Perhaps the inclusion of Walker Buehler in September can be used as a reinforcement.

How Does Dave Roberts Handle Adrian Gonzalez’s Return

Adrian Gonzalez has already played in a few rehab games just last week and is expected to join the team sometime next week. The key question here is – how does Dave Roberts manage Gonzalez’s playing time?

Dave Roberts has an ample amount of options with how he wants to handle this situation. The honest truth is that the way this plays out is entirely up to how Gonzalez produces when he returns. But assuming Gonzalez produces up to his best capabilities, Roberts has to choose from one of these solutions.

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1. Start Gonzalez at first, Bellinger moves to left, Taylor starts at center against lefties, Joc is benched.
2. Start Gonzalez at first, Bellinger moves to left, Taylor starts at second against righties, Forsythe is benched.
3. Split playing time with Bellinger and Gonzalez at first, easing Gonzalez’s return to full health and allowing Bellinger to rest as he has played virtually every day since his call up in April.
4. Ask Gonzalez to take a reduced role as the primary pinch hitter off the bench not disrupting the current lineup chemistry.
5. Split playing time with all four of the players mentioned above. Luckily Dave Roberts has players that are versatile and can play both the outfield and infield.

If you ask me, I’d roll out line ups based on choices 1 and 2. Taylor has proven himself as a true leadoff hitter for the Dodgers, and if Gonzalez is going to be an x-factor in the postseason, he’ll need everyday at-bats to get into October form. That said, option three doesn’t sound like a bad idea if it means that Bellinger can get some rest and it keeps Gonzalez 100 % healthy.

Next: Top of the Order is Filled With MVP Candidates

Dave Roberts has plenty of options when Gonzalez comes in. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, he’s the favorite for MOY, so I expect him to be already thinking about ways to handle these situations. He’s gotten them to the best record in baseball in only his second year. But moving forward these are some storylines to follow as we close out this season.