3 Dodgers pitchers who will be most important to postseason success

2. Blake Treinen

Blake Treinen has pitched a grand total of five innings in 2022 … but he’s the Dodgers’ most important reliever. After a shoulder issue sidelined him in April, it was unclear if Treinen would return this year. As a result, the Dodgers signed him to an extension through 2023 so they wouldn’t have another contract issue heading into the offseason.

But Treinen avoided surgery and returned to the team on Sept. 3. He’s since pitched two innings in low-leverage situations and has allowed just one walk while striking out one batter. His five-pitch inning against the Padres on Sept. 3 was nice, but his 23-pitch laborious frame against the Giants two days later kept the Dodgers from pitching him for the remainder of that series.

It’s unclear how Treinen will respond to a larger workload, but the Dodgers need him at his peak powers, because he’s pretty much as impactful as a closer, but is used more liberally by manager Dave Roberts. Treinen’s usually the guy who comes in for the seventh or eighth to protect a lead/preserve a tie if the heart of the opposing team’s lineup is coming up. He’s used as Roberts sees fit, because he’s the arm most capable of getting outs against the biggest bats.

Though the Dodgers’ bullpen has mostly gotten the job done this year, it’s been clear Treinen’s absence makes it a less fearsome unit. In the postseason, the Dodgers will be facing all the best lineups in heightened situations. Can the current cast handle such a task? Dodgers fans would just rather have Treinen healthy and ready to go rather than wonder what might happen without him.

1. Craig Kimbrel

There he is. The most frustrating Dodgers reliever since … Kenley Jansen! Welcome, Craig Kimbrel! Up until Aug. 21, Kimbrel had a target on his back. Dodgers fans couldn’t stand watching him come in for save situations because of how erratic he was.

But on Aug. 21, a reversal like you’ve never seen before occurred: Kimbrel changed his walkout song to “Let It Go” — the famous song from Disney’s “Frozen” — and he’s been unstoppable ever since. The right-hander has tossed six scoreless outings (five of which have featured no hits and no walks) and lowered his ERA (3.88), FIP (2.52) and WHIP (1.40).

Whether Kimbrel is closing or not come October, the Dodgers need him to be more like this than his late-2018 to first-half-2022 self. The only outlier over that span was Kimbrel’s first half of 2021. He was incredible, but then came crashing down to earth after being traded to the Chicago White Sox to become their setup man.

LA usually “figures it out” with the bullpen, but they can’t afford to have a high-leverage asset such as Kimbrel constantly crumble in big moments. When he’s on, he’s almost unhittable. When he’s off, he’s a piñata, and fans have seen the two tales all season long.

There’s a reason the Red Sox didn’t re-sign him after his erratic 2018 postseason (even though it resulted in a World Series triumph over the Dodgers). LA won’t have Boston this time around, but it’d be nice if they could show up the Sox by having Kimbrel help them be the last team standing.

Dodgers’ odds, magic number to clinch division on Sept. 8 are hilarious

The Los Angeles Dodgers are fairly overwhelming favorites to clinch the NL West on Sept. 8, to say the least. Probably have the juice to get the job done.