Blake Treinen plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers; Licensed by CC 2.0
The 2024 MLB Postseason has been nothing short of awesome. We baseball fans have been extremely fortunate to see teams like the Royals and Tigers hit the road in October for the first time in years. In fact, both of those teams made it to their respective division series by taking down the powerhouses in the Orioles and Astros. The drama of October 24 has been turned upside down. The NLDS between the Padres and Dodgers was about as perfect as it could get from a fan perspective, going the full five games, putting the rivalry on full display. Dave Roberts even had a ball thrown his way between innings by former Dodger Manny Machado (who later admitted that Roberts was 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 considered the weakest group to play out of all teams in October. Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Gavin Stone, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Brusdar Graterol and most famously Shohei Ohtani aren’t even all the injuries 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 most of them not making any significant contributions on the mound at all this season. Still, the Dodgers 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 and Game 1 of the NLCS, the Dodgers pitching staff tied MLB. record for most consecutive scoreless innings: 33.
After a turn of events that made every fan of the game question their ball knowledge, the Dodgers rose to the occasion, setting a record in the process. But how and who does the heavy lifting on the hill? Well, the short answer. Almost everyone.
In Game 4 of the NLDS, Dave Roberts struck out eight pitchers in his bullpen to shut out San Diego 8-0 on the road. Roberts has been criticized in the past for over-managing games. However, this performance could save his job with the Dodgers for at least one more season. Going into enemy territory, especially in a place like San Diego, and managing the bullpen with nothing but bullpen boys is something that would make a World Series DVD if this team made it to October. Their offense is clearly capable of putting up lopsided numbers, even with Freddie Freeman playing with one good leg. If the Dodgers want a chance to make that DVD, they need their pitching staff to continue to shine.
Putting together scoreless innings has been the name of Los Angeles’ game this postseason. Their opening performance was not a prime example of this, but one Jack Flaherty He was stellar in his 12.1 innings in October. Flaherty came over from Detroit at this year’s trade deadline. It was clear the Dodgers needed to add some starting pitching, and Flaherty was the most obvious answer. The move would be valuable for both Detroit and Los Angeles as both teams made the postseason. Jack Flaherty’s performance in October has been the cornerstone of their success thus far. In 12.1 innings, Flaherty has a 2.92 ERA with 8 strikeouts and a 0.81 WHIP (walks and strikeouts per inning). That last number stands out because not allowing too many runners is perhaps the most important thing in October. Flaherty’s most recent start came against the Mets in Game 1 of the NLCS. Flaherty threw 7 innings of foul ball, giving up just 2 hits and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts against a Bigs team whose offense sputtered in October. After this 9-0 game, the Dodgers tied the above record, and Dave Roberts’ managerial skills shined again when he let Flaherty go 7 innings (although letting him keep pitching was of course easier given the kind of lead the Dodgers had) : Flaherty needs to continue his dominance if the Dodgers want to have any chance at the Fall Classic in a few weeks here.
Continuing the theme of trade deadline acquisitions (specifically from the AL Central) impacting Los Angeles, Michael Kopech lights out since joining the Dodger pitching staff from the White Sox. Kopech was able to bounce around the country, leaving the record-setting White Sox out of dominant positions. Kopech has always been a high ceiling type of pitcher. He has a fastball that tops out at 102 mph and some devastating secondary pitches that would have any professional hitter at a loss 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 with the White Sox. What impressed the 28-year-old right-hander the most was his ability to step into a game at any time and pitch a scoreless inning. He has pitched in the 3rd, 8th and 9th innings in his 4 postseason games. He has yet to allow a run, collecting 5 hits along the way. Like Flaherty, Kopech has limited baserunners in his innings with a 0.90 WHIP. It looks like Michael Kopich and the next featured reliever will be the two most important pieces of the Dodger bullpen heading into October. Alex Vecia, one of the best left-handed options in all of baseball, has been shut down for the foreseeable future, making the innings Kopech plays that much more important.
Blake Treinen has been a monster of what he has been throughout his career. He has a career ERA of 2.78 and an impressive 1.93 mark through the 2024 regular season. However, in un-Treinen fashion, his previous experience in the postseason has been less than ideal. In 27 career games, he sports a 4.30 ERA, striking out just 28 batters in 29.1 innings. This postseason has been different for Blake. Like Kopech, Treinen didn’t give up a run and collected 2 saves in his 3 appearances. But unlike Kopech and Flaherty, Treinen has had some trouble allowing baserunners with a 1.36 WHIP. That number should drop if the Dodgers continue to rely on Treinen as they approach October. A higher WHIP shows some success in Treinen’s hitting, but it also shows he can rely on his nasty weapons to get through. Rewriting his postseason history one at a time, Treinen’s dominant run, along with the two guys at the top, has really been critical to the Dodgers’ chances this October. This team’s bullpen seems to have found an identity. They’ve proven everyone wrong so far and look poised to continue surprising Dodger doubters in the US
As a Giants fan, I thought I would never write to praise the Dodgers for their success, much less their success in the postseason. However, it’s the almost unbelievable defiance of the labels attached to their pitching staff that really piqued my interest, as well as fans across the sport. The Dodgers are in the best situation they could ask for right now, heading into New York with a 1-1 series split with the Mets. If this team makes it to the World Championships, watch out for the performances of the athletes at the top to drastically affect their chances of getting a ring.
