Dave Roberts says lack of closer is not a factor in Dodgers’ bullpen struggles

PHILADELPHIA – For the first time in years, the Dodgers are operating without a designated closer. And their bullpen has one of the highest ERAs in the majors.

But don’t tell Dodgers manager Dave Roberts that the two are related and some of the team’s struggles at the back end of games could be solved by making Evan Phillips the full-time closer.

“I think there is a little bit of too much emphasis on the dedicated closer,” Roberts said Saturday. “There were a lot of people calling for (Craig) Kimbrel to be gone last year … and having a dedicated closer, saying it wasn’t helpful to our ‘pen.

“You have to peel back individual performance. And I think that individually, guys are not pitching to their capabilities.”

Using Phillips in a more mobile role – deploying him in the highest-leverage situations regardless of the inning – would be easier if other relievers had shown reliability in roles around him. That they haven’t has been the biggest challenge, Roberts said.

“Whether it’s a dedicated closer or a leverage arm, a high-leverage arm that you’re missing in Blake (Treinen) and Daniel (Hudson), it’s changed the dynamic,” he said. “That’s just the nature of this game. What it does is, it gives opportunities to guys and then you see what you have.”

Treinen remains a long shot to pitch this season after undergoing shoulder surgery in November. Hudson, however, began a rehab assignment this week, making two scoreless appearances for the Dodgers’ team in the Arizona Complex League. The Dodgers are hopeful he could be ready to join them in “the next couple weeks.”

Hudson underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee almost a year ago. The Dodgers were hopeful he could return at some point earlier this season but his recovery was complicated by nerve issues in his knee. A cortisone injection last month alleviated those problems.

“He threw again today (in an Arizona game). The velocity is good. He’s feeling good. So we’re going to sit down and talk with him in the next few days and lay out the different options,” GM Brandon Gomes said.

Hudson had three days off before his first two outings in Arizona. He will have to demonstrate an ability to bounce back faster between games before he could join the Dodgers’ bullpen.

“Yeah, for sure. That’s part of it,” Gomes said. “Just like we would in spring training, we’ll continue to close that gap, then move to back-to-backs so that when he’s here he’s not doing those things for the first time.

“But the positive thing is Huddy has been throwing the whole time. So his arm is in good shape and it’s not like we have to build that part up. It’s just going out and getting the reps and making sure he’s bouncing back and feeling good.”

Another former closer could become an option at some point soon. The Dodgers signed 32-year-old right-hander Ken Giles to a minor-league contract last month and he has been throwing to hitters at the Dodgers’ complex in Arizona and could be assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City “at some point,” according to Gomes.

Giles had 113 saves for the Phillies, Astros and Blue Jays from 2015 through 2019 but has pitched just 4 ⅓ innings in the majors since Tommy John surgery in 2020. He was released by the Mariners and Giants last year.

The Dodgers also signed veteran right-hander Ryan Brasier after he was released by the Red Sox last month. Gomes said Brasier could join OKC next week.

MAKING MOVES

The Dodgers recalled Andre Jackson from Triple-A Oklahoma City Saturday and placed right-hander Shelby Miller on the bereavement list. Miller is expected to rejoin the Dodgers Tuesday in Los Angeles.

With no starting pitcher available, the Dodgers will be going with a ‘bullpen game’ on Sunday. Jackson is likely to figure into that though Roberts said the Sunday pitching plan was “contingent” on how the bullpen was used Saturday.

Until Julio Urias is able to return from his hamstring injury, the Dodgers are likely to make ‘bullpen games’ a fairly regular feature of their rotation – similar to a stretch during the 2021 season after Dustin May’s elbow injury when Clayton Kershaw was also on the Injured List.

“I think that’s a possibility,” Roberts said. “When you look back at that stretch, I think we did a very good job of preventing runs. It certainly is important to get length out of the other four guys to be able to kind of run that play out. But with the off days that we have, I still think that that’s certainly a possibility.”

BARNES STATUS

Catcher Austin Barnes said he had a CT scan on his right hand Saturday, two days after he was hit by a pitch in Cincinnati. The CT scan confirmed the original X-rays which showed no fractures.

Barnes has not played since leaving Thursday’s game but took swings in the batting cage to test his injured hand before Saturday’s game. The Dodgers play a day game Sunday but Roberts said he plans to start Will Smith at catcher in all three games this weekend. Saturday’s game was a mid-afternoon start, giving Smith more time to recover before Sunday.

UP NEXT

Dodgers (TBD) at Phillies (RHP Taijuan Walker, 4-3, 5.65 ERA), Sunday, 10:35 a.m., SportsNet LA, MLB Network, 570 AM