'Rock bottom': Dodgers bullpen implodes again

LOS ANGELES -- Edgardo Henriquez approached a dilatory chopper successful Tuesday's seventh inning, bobbled it initially, past threw truthful wide of archetypal basal that the shot rolled each the mode to the right-field fence.

All 3 Minnesota Twins baserunners scored. Boos rained down erstwhile again from Dodger Stadium's bleachers. The Dodgers' bullpen had completed yet different implosion, allowing six runs implicit the people of 2 innings to manus the squad a 10-7 loss, its 11th successful 14 games.

The Dodgers person agelong been expected to people bullpen assistance up of the commercialized deadline, which is present 8 days away, but the urgency has lone ratcheted up implicit the past week.

Rock bottom, it seems, has arrived.

"It amended beryllium stone bottom," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, "as acold arsenic however we've been pitching, however we've been playing defense."

The Dodgers placed their astir costly reliever, Tanner Scott, connected the injured database earlier Tuesday with what the squad initially called elbow inflammation. An MRI confirmed that diagnosis, Scott said aft the game, adding that his ulnar collateral ligament is intact. His timeline is uncertain, but Scott expressed assurance helium volition instrumentality to the bullpen astatine immoderate constituent this season.

At the moment, though, helium is among a daunting database of high-leverage Dodgers relievers who are presently unavailable, joining Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech, Brusdar Graterol and Evan Phillips, the second of whom has undergone season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Another mightiness articulation them.

Ben Casparius exited different unsmooth outing with a cramp successful his close calf Tuesday nighttime and volition acquisition an MRI connected Wednesday morning. Before exiting, Casparius -- a godsend successful April and May, a scourge successful June and July -- allowed 3 walks and a treble to the 4 batters helium faced. Alexis Diaz, discarded by the Cincinnati Reds contempt being an All-Star person successful 2023, constricted harm thereafter but allowed 2 inherited runners to score.

Will Klein and Henriquez, 2 powerfulness right-handers with devastating worldly but spotty command, handled the seventh inning. Klein struck retired the archetypal batter helium faced, past walked the bases loaded and promptly exited. Two pitches later, Henriquez made the three-run mistake that gave the Twins a 9-5 pb and fundamentally enactment the crippled retired of reach.

The Dodgers' bullpen has taken connected the largest workload successful the majors by a wide margin, a relation of the injuries that had been absorbed passim the starting rotation. They person compiled 450 2/3 innings. The second-place Chicago White Sox person accumulated conscionable 405. Just arsenic importantly, though, they haven't performed. Dodgers relievers fertile 24th successful the majors successful ERA (4.41), WHIP (1.35) and opponents' OPS (.748).

"Things are gonna crook around," Scott said.

Dodgers wide manager Brandon Gomes expressed a akin sentiment earlier the game. Treinen should beryllium backmost earlier the extremity of July, Kopech is expected to travel successful precocious August, Graterol is primed to go a late-season addition, and Scott and Kirby, the team's 2 large offseason acquisitions, should beryllium better. That, astatine least, is the hope.

"I would reason that if we enactment somewhat healthy, that this radical is amended than it was past year," Gomes said of a portion that helped transportation the squad to a title past fall. "Obviously there's a agelong clip betwixt present and the agelong run, but close present I consciousness precise bully astir the endowment level of this pitching staff."

But the Dodgers volition nevertheless people high-leverage relievers implicit the adjacent week oregon so, astatine the precise slightest to springiness Roberts much formidable options until the bullpen rounds backmost into health. Outside of Yates, who has struggled with his go-to splitter, and Vesia, who has already appeared successful 47 games, the options person go remarkably thin.

"It's difficult," Roberts said. "This is the guys we person close now, and they're getting opportunities to marque an impression. So that's connected them. When you person definite guys down, you're enactment successful leverage, bases loaded, cipher out, immoderate it mightiness beryllium -- you've gotta travel successful determination and bash your job. Some guys are, immoderate guys aren't."