Bullpen's 'uncharacteristic' issues continue vs. Reds

CINCINNATI -- Playing without a reliable bullpen is unfamiliar ground for the Dodgers.

Los Angeles has ranked second in baseball in bullpen ERA for each of the last three seasons and hasn’t ranked outside the top 10 since 2015.

But 2023 has been a different story. And the unpredictability at the back reared its ugly head once again on Tuesday as the Dodgers blew a five-run lead to fall to the Reds, 9-8, at Great American Ball Park.

In all, five relievers combined to give up five runs over 3 1/3 innings Tuesday to raise the Dodgers’ bullpen ERA to 4.77 -- 26th in baseball.

“They’re not throwing the ball well,” manager Dave Roberts said. “There are walks in there. There are hit batsmen in there. There’s no punch. And then you’re getting the walk. That’s a bad combo. When you look down there, I can trust guys, but … it’s got to work both ways. The talent is there. But they’ve got to do their part, too. Tonight is a night we shouldn’t have lost this game.”

For years, the Dodgers could rely on one of the best closers in baseball in Kenley Jansen. In his absence, they’re still searching for one dependable closer, but that wasn’t the issue on Tuesday. Roberts turned to his best relievers from the sixth inning on, and they weren’t able to get the job done.

Yency Almonte and Brusdar Graterol each put four runners on base and didn't register a strikeout in their respective innings; they were perhaps lucky to escape their innings by only giving up one run. The silver lining was Evan Phillips, who put away the heart of the order -- including the recently called up power-hitting prospect Elly De La Cruz -- on 11 easy pitches.

Things really unraveled in the ninth inning when Caleb Ferguson lost control of the zone and threw just 12 of his 30 pitches for strikes.

While battling slow but steady rain, the lefty started the frame with a six-pitch walk and single before getting Kevin Newman to pop out in foul territory. Ferguson then walked the bases loaded, walked in a run and hit a batter to tie the game. Shelby Miller came in to stop the bleeding, but Matt McLain ended the game with a single to deep left field on Miller’s second pitch.

“I think if you look at my last couple [outings], I’ve just been grinding a little bit,” said Ferguson, whose ERA has jumped from 0.98 to 3.38 in his past four outings. “Just be better, that’s it. … I’ve been bad. I hope Doc keeps running me out there. I’ll figure it out, but at the end of the day, it comes back on me. I’ve just got to be better.”

So where do the Dodgers go from here? Roberts is continuing to mix and match late in games to see who is the best fit. There’s a possibility of getting back injured relievers such as Daniel Hudson and Blake Treinen later in the year. Plus, the hope is that starters will go deeper into games and minimize the number of times Roberts needs to get double-digit outs from the 'pen -- Gonsolin threw 24 pitches in the first inning on Tuesday, and it took him 92 pitches to finish five innings.

But despite the struggles, Roberts believes in the talent of his bullpen that has been one of the Majors' best for years.

“It’s very uncharacteristic,” Roberts said. “It’s very difficult to build momentum, to finish games, to not have to go to other guys. If you’re not striking guys out, you’re walking guys. The inflated ERA and all that stuff, it should level out. I don’t expect us to be here for the duration of the season. But as of now, this is where we’re at. It’s just got to be better, all around.”