Conventional? No. But Dodgers like pitching staff's postseason makeup

LOS ANGELES -- In early September, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman sat in the visitors' dugout in Miami to address a number of issues, especially the starting pitching.

At the time, the Dodgers were going through one of their toughest stretches of the season. They were on the verge of ruling Walker Buehler out for the season, Clayton Kershaw was still finding his footing following a left shoulder injury, and Julio Urías was placed on paid administrative leave following domestic violence allegations.

But despite everything going on, Friedman delivered a strong message of support.

“We feel like we have really talented arms both in Triple-A, on the IL and on our active roster that we feel like we’re going to have a lot of talent on our pitching staff in October,” Friedman said at the time. “We might not know exactly who the 13 are going to be right now. But we feel very confident that we will be bringing some big-boy stuff to the table.”

The Dodgers have dealt with a lot of adversity with their pitching staff this season. Kershaw is the only pitcher from the Opening Day rotation that will be on the postseason roster. Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin were both lost for the season with right elbow injuries.

Over the past few months, however, even with some key pitchers missing, Los Angeles has finally displayed some of that “big-boy stuff” Friedman alluded to. The bullpen has made the biggest jump on the roster, posting a 4.43 ERA in the first half and a 2.23 ERA since the All-Star break.

• Dodgers-D-backs position-by-position breakdown

But as the Dodgers get ready for their National League Division Series against the D-backs, the question now shifts to: Will they have enough pitching to win 11 games?

“I guess time will tell,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I think that it’s certainly doable. ... But with that, it also comes with our offensive needs to put up some runs, too. So, I do feel that we’re going to have a lot of talented arms and how to deploy them. Is it enough? I mean, I’m expecting it to be enough.”

• NLDS Game 1 FAQ

The Dodgers haven’t shied away from saying their pitching plans won’t be conventional in October. Some of it is out of necessity. A lot of it is because of their philosophy of trying to maximize matchups. They will be aggressive in using the bullpen. Openers will be part of the calculus.

For all of that to work at its best for an entire month, the Dodgers will need Kershaw and Bobby Miller to provide quality innings and some length atop the rotation. Given what both have done recently, the team feels very confident that won’t be an issue.

Behind Kershaw and Miller is where things get a little more complicated for the Dodgers. The easy choice to start Game 3 in the NLDS is Lance Lynn. The veteran right-hander has plenty of postseason experience, but he has really struggled this season.

• Will an under-the-radar hero step up for Dodgers?

Lynn yielded more home runs (44) in the regular season than any other pitcher in the Majors. Given the importance of limiting runs in the postseason, that could be a huge issue.

If it’s not Lynn behind Kershaw and Miller, rookies Ryan Pepiot or Emmet Sheehan could be strong options in Game 3 and for a pair of starts in a potential NL Championship Series.

Pepiot has been solid since getting more opportunities, posting a 2.57 ERA in his final five appearances in the regular season. Sheehan has also impressed and gives the Dodgers more swing-and-miss stuff.

There’s also a chance that Sheehan serves as a multi-inning option behind Kershaw in Game 1, giving the opponents a different look from the right side.

“I think what it’s lacking potentially in some experience, you have in talent,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. “But overall, this group has performed really well, especially down the stretch. Excited to see these guys get out there and perform.”

Regardless of what the Dodgers do with their starting staff in the NLDS and beyond, its bullpen will more than likely be what determines how successful they’ll be. The three-headed monster in the back end of Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol and Ryan Brasier will be pivotal.

Left-handers Caleb Ferguson and Alex Vesia will have to fare much better than they did for most of the season, but the Dodgers believe they have enough there.

One thing we know is that it’s going to be an unconventional plan. Maybe that’s how the Dodgers like it. Whether it works or not will ultimately be determined out on the field in a wide-open NL race.

“The arm talent and the depth we have,” Friedman said. “We feel really good about it.”