Relief woes sting LA in SD: 'This is a game that hurts'

SAN DIEGO -- With the Trade Deadline in the rearview mirror, the Dodgers can now focus on the players they’ll have on the roster the rest of the way. Following the bevy of acquisitions made by the club this week, Los Angeles believes it has exactly what it needs to make a deep postseason run.

But while the additions were helpful and will all impact the roster at different points over the next two months, the inconsistencies of the bullpen are still at the forefront of just about every Dodgers loss over the last few weeks.

It was no different on Tuesday, as the Dodgers’ relief corps couldn’t close out the Padres, blowing an early five-run lead in a 6-5 loss to San Diego in 10 innings at Petco Park. It marked the third time in 13 games that the Dodgers failed to retain a lead of five runs or more.

"This is a game that hurts,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "You've got to win this game tonight."

After getting spotted a five-run lead by a shorthanded offense in the first inning, it looked as if the Dodgers were going to cruise to another win against the Padres. Tyler Glasnow looked sharp in his second start off the injured list, allowing three runs and striking out eight over seven innings.

Bullpen usage has been an issue for the Dodgers due to short outings from their starters. But when you get seven innings from your ace, you’re expected to win the game. And yet, they're struggling to find the answers in the backend of the bullpen.

"We got a lengthy outing tonight, which we felt good about,” Roberts said. “Hopefully, we gave a handful of guys another off-day to get them more fresh. Outside of that, they’ve got to go in and make pitches. I look at who’s available and expect them to go out there and do their jobs. That’s kind of where I’m at right now."

Anthony Banda was tasked with the eighth inning and he continued to impress, retiring the top of the San Diego lineup in order. In the ninth and with the middle of the Padres’ lineup due up, Roberts turned to Blake Treinen, who has been one of the Dodgers’ most reliable relievers this season.

Treinen, however, was ambushed by Manny Machado, who smashed a first-pitch sinker into the left-field seats to cut the deficit to a run with his second homer of the game. Two batters later, Jackson Merrill took Treinen deep to tie it, capping off another blown save from a Los Angeles reliever.

"I think our bullpen has been one of the best, if not the best, over the last five years since I’ve been here,” Treinen said. “There’s obviously going to be some tough stretches. A lot of that falls on me, and two of the last few that you talked about. I don’t know if we really think much about it. It’s just the day when it happens, it’s pretty frustrating."

Things didn’t get much better in extra innings, as Alex Vesia saw a decrease in velocity for a second consecutive outing in the 10th. Vesia has arguably been the Dodgers’ best reliever this season, but has been used often lately. The left-hander threw three consecutive sliders to start his outing, while his four-seamer had a decrease of 1.4 mph from its season average.

Vesia’s command also took a hit on Tuesday, with pinch-hitter Donovan Solano ultimately winning the last battle, lining a walk-off single down the left-field line to send Padres fans home happy.

With the loss, the Dodgers’ lead in the National League West was reduced to 5 1/2 games.

"They made some additions, they’re feeling good, they’re playing great baseball,” Roberts said of the Padres, who were also active on the trade market. “Probably, the month of July, they’ve played as good of baseball as anybody in all of the Major Leagues. They’re certainly feeling good about themselves, absolutely. We've got [Dylan] Cease tomorrow, so we’ve got our hands full again tomorrow."

Getting Brusdar Graterol and Ryan Brasier back at some point in August should help the Dodgers’ bullpen. It’s still a unit that has a lot of talent. But right now, the club is looking to put together a complete game as it awaits reinforcements.

The Dodgers believe they brought in a good haul via trades over the last 48 hours, and that they are well positioned to roll with this group the rest of the way -- but things started off on a sour note in San Diego.

"I take pride in being successful for my teammates,” Treinen said. “They gave us a chance to go out there, they put their faith in me to go put up a zero and I didn’t get the job done. So I’m gonna need to be better than what I have been."