LOS ANGELES — Don’t work harder. Work smarter.
There are many reasons why three consecutive World Series titles are such a rare feat, although the Dodgers have been able to mitigate a major one as they try to add another commissioner’s trophy to the pile this season.
The New York Yankees are the last to win three consecutive championships when they owned baseball from 1998-2000 in the era of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte.
The wear and tear of a 162-game season, in addition to as many as 20 playoff games, begins to add up over time. And then there are the shorter offseasons. The Dodgers not only have played 34 combined playoff games over the past two seasons, they have been a postseason regular since 2013.
The additional innings can take their toll, although the Dodgers have spread around the workload better than most this season.
The Dodgers entered play Sunday with the third-best bullpen ERA in the National League at 3.13. But they had the least amount of bullpen innings in the major leagues at 181. That was more than 100 innings less than the Washington Nationals’ bullpen has been forced to absorb, and the All-Star break still is over a month away.
The relievers had a combined 2.52 ERA and a major league-best .195 opponents’ batting average in the 36 games before left-hander Tanner Scott was tagged for three runs in the eighth inning of Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
On Sunday, left-hander Jack Dreyer returned from a two-week stint on the injured list to add another workhorse to the group. In a corresponding move, right-hander Paul Gervase was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
“It’s been great. The ‘pen’s been fantastic,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And then to have Alex (Vesia) and Tanner down (Sunday for rest), to insert Jack is helpful. You never want to lose guys to the IL, but it is a nice opportunity for other guys. And the bullpen, (with bullpen coach) Josh Bard leading the way, they’ve been fantastic. They really have.”
In Dreyer, the Dodgers returned a pitcher who had not allowed a run over his last nine outings (11 1/3 innings) before going on the IL.
“Obviously it hurt to not be able to be a part of (the recent bullpen success), but to see what they’ve been doing and how many zeros they’ve been putting up consistently, it’s been really fun to watch,” Dreyer said. “I know that I can just try to help continue with what they’ve been doing.”
Of Dreyer’s first 20 appearances this season, 18 were scoreless. He not only had a 2.08 ERA entering play Sunday, he had a 2.95 ERA in 67 appearances during his rookie season of 2024 and had four scoreless appearances in the postseason, including two in the World Series.
“I think the thing that stands out is his neutrality, getting lefties out, getting righties out. He’s very dependable,” Roberts said, “He’s gotten a lot better with his curveball. The slider is good, and he’s just a smart player, really smart.”
MORE ON THE WAY
Right-handed reliever Evan Phillips is close to returning after more than a year away following Tommy John surgery. Phillips next will throw to hitters in a live batting-practice session at Arizona and then go out on a minor league rehab assignment later in the week.
Phillips is expected to return once he progresses to appearances on consecutive days.
Phillips had a combined 42 saves for the Dodgers between 2023 and 2024 with a 2.79 ERA. He last pitched on May 5 of last season.
Right-hander Brock Stewart threw a bullpen Sunday morning but continues to be bothered by a bone spur in his left foot.
GREAT OUTDOORS
Like Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker is not one to take batting practice on the field before games, but he was in the cage this weekend taking his swings.
Tucker entered Sunday batting .236 with a .719 OPS in his first season of a four-year, $240-million contract. His career norms are .270 and .855, respectively.
“It’s telling that he doesn’t hit on the field, and he hit velocity early and took batting practice on the field, so that’s very telling, where he’s at, yeah,” Roberts said.
Even top players are not immune to the pressures that come with a massive contract, all while assuming a pivotal role with a proven team.
“I do think that the swing rate is higher than it has been in his career, whether it’s the first pitch, just in total,” Roberts said. “… I think that speaks to not being selective enough, because he is a guy that by nature can run deep counts and still be fine getting to two strikes, but it just seems like he’s much more hyper aggressive than I recall.”
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Emmet Sheehan, 3-1, 4.70 ERA) at Diamondbacks (LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, 5-1, 2.31 ERA), Monday, 6:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM, 1020 AM