Dodgers are running out of bullpen options to rely on in postseason after latest blowup

The Los Angeles Dodgers had a 4-2 lead, heading into the bottom of the ninth against the Miami Marlins on Sunday. They lost by two. Tanner Scott, their $72 million closer, who is closing because Edwin Diaz, their $69 million closer, has been bad and is currently injured, came in to close it out, but instead gave up two infield singles and a double to tie it up before being replaced. 

After Dave Roberts had seen enough, Brock Stewart replaced him, fell behind 2-1 on Agustin Ramirez, and gave up a two-run homer to end the game. The Marlins won by a final score of 6-4 and a series loss for a Dodgers thust a lot of the blame on the bullpen.

Local radio host Doug McKain summed up the reaction plenty of fans probably share. “Brock Stewart has postseason disaster written all over him. Hopefully the Dodgers realize that now.” 

It’s hard to argue with Sunday’s result or Stewart’s numbers. But he isn’t the only problem, and pretending he is would let a bigger issue go unaddressed.

A Dodgers' bullpen collapse has been building for months

After Scott’s tough season in 2025, the Dodgers sought out another answer in Diaz. But when he scuffled, Scott was there to pick up the pieces. But Scott now owns a 9.82 ERA in September, and Sunday’s meltdown was his second blown save this month. Stewart isn’t far behind (ahead?) of him with a 7.36 ERA this month. 

Yes, these are small samples, but no, they’re not blips. They’re two of the pitchers Roberts has been leaning on in high-leverage situations, and they’re both struggling in the biggest spots. 

Zoom out a bit, and it doesn’t get much better. The Dodgers bullpen is sitting with a 4.65 ERA in September, which is 15th in all of MLB. But add in their 4.25 ERA since the break, which ranks 22nd, and you see it’s been a problem for a while.

This unit hasn't just had a rough patch. They’ve been trending in the wrong direction for a while, with warning signs showing up last month when a thinner rotation started pushing more innings to a bullpen not built to handle them. 

Scott has had late-inning problems before September turned into a crisis for him. The front office’s inability to add a reliable arm at the deadline after three straight misses on top free agents is why Roberts has run out of late-inning options. There’s not much of a fallback plan.

This is frustrating because it’s not a talent problem. Scott was incredible for much of this season. He looked like he was earning his salary. Stewart had a 2.12 ERA in his first 17 appearances after his injury, though some control issues should have been a warning sign.

These are two of the trusted relievers, and that trust disappears when they start giving up games. Sunday’s collapse wasn’t an outlier. It was the reality of a burned-out bullpen, on a day when Josue De Paula’s big home run should have been the headline. 

Unfortunately for Roberts, he doesn’t have a lot to reshuffle, and there isn’t much time to figure things out. Edgardo Henriquez gave up a couple of runs of his own on Sunday before Scott and Stewart finished the job. So even the setup options are problematic. There are still good pitchers in this bullpen, but it’s hard to find any to trust day-in and day-out. It’ll likely have to be a juggling act through October.

Whatever they do over the final two weeks of the regular season won’t be with math on their side. They can mix and match, piggyback, and hope a fresh look changes things, but they have little time left to figure it out. And a team with three-peat ambitions that trots out pitchers like this means something has to change before the games start to really count in October. The Dodgers aren’t running out of bullpen problems. They’re running out of bullpen.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow