Los Angeles Dodgers Pitching Woes Threaten Their Postseason Success… Again

In theory, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 3 1/2-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the National League West seems fairly safe.

There’s only two weeks left in the season. Aside from Monday night’s series finale in Atlanta and a three-game set next week at home with San Diego, Los Angeles gets to dine on the National League’s dregs for the season’s remainder.

Three games in Miami and six games with Colorado not only should pave the Dodgers’ path to their 12th NL West title in 13 years, but also could help them get home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs.

With that glittering multi-zillion dollar top of the lineup of Ohtani, Betts and Freeman, Los Angeles should cruise to the World Series, right?

Well, you still have to pitch. And that’s going to be a real issue for this team in October, unless Jack Flaherty has the postseason of a lifetime and Japanese rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto is healthy enough to back him up as a No. 2 starter.

Beyond that, the options become bare in a hurry. With Tyler Glasnow out for the year after again displaying that he’s made of porcelain, what’s left? Clayton Kershaw, who’s at the end of the line of a Hall of Fame career and breaks down a little more every time he’s out there? Walker Buehler, who suddenly can’t command his pitches?

And the bullpen has been no better of late. Just this week, it melted down in two losses to the Chicago Cubs and then turned a competitive game into a 10-1 rout Saturday night in Atlanta.

Manager Dave Roberts resorted to a clubhouse speech before Sunday night’s 9-2 win against the Braves to inspire his team. A seven-run ninth inning restored order for an evening.

“There are certain times in a season that it’s a good reminder for the guys to know how good they are,” Roberts said. “But you also have to play like it too… It was good to play an overall really good baseball game.”

A lot of Marlins and Rockies the next two weeks might lead to more really good baseball games that allow Los Angeles to earn a first-round bye. But how will it get 27 outs to win 11 postseason games when it achieved that just once in the last two years with healthier pitching staffs?

Unless the answer is the return of Sandy Koufax in his prime or the 1988 version of Orel Hershiser, the Dodgers might be booking October tee times earlier than they (or the networks) would like.