Editorials

Dodgers: Vesia, White, and More, LA Bullpen Shines During Nine-Game Winning Streak

The Dodgers 7-2 loss to the Mets on Sunday ended a nine-game winning streak for the club. During the streak, the Dodgers had three full-time starters on the roster. The bullpen, especially the younger arms, was a big reason why the Dodgers were able to reel off nine straight.



Although the bullpen pitched the second most innings during the nine game stretch, they owned the best bullpen ERA (2.05). Keeping the ball in the yard was a key to their success. The relievers had the second lowest home runs allowed per nine innings (0.20).

Of the young arms, Mitch White and Alex Vesia impressed the most.

White recorded a historic 7 1/3 scoreless innings on Wednesday against the Pirates. He joined Ed Roebuck as the only Dodger relievers to pitching that many scoreless innings.

White’s performance was deemed a “godsend” by Dodgers announcer Joe Davis since the Dodgers were staring down the barrel of another bullpen game the following day.

White’s best game ever as a Dodger couldn’t have come at a better time. It allowed manager Dave Roberts to roll out seven relievers in a winning effort the next day.

Alex Vesia was inserted into the most critical moment of Friday night’s game against the Mets. With the Dodgers holding onto a slim 3-2 lead, Vesia walked the bases full. He came right back with an emphatic strikeout of the Mets JD Davis.

After struggling with control issues in the first half of the season, Vesia appears to be much more dialed in. He allowed zero hits and one walk in four appearances during the winning streak. For the time being, he’s a key piece of this Dodgers bullpen.

Sunday wasn’t exactly a bullpen showcase (4 ER in 5 IP), but even with a massive workload, this group of relievers has delivered so far. Mixing proven arms like Knebel and Treinen with promising youngsters proved to be a great combination. 

Dodgers: Dave Roberts Talks About Adding Needed ‘Edge’ of Max Scherzer to Roster

Eric Eulau

Born and raised in Ventura, not "Ven-CH-ura", California. Favorite Dodger Stadium food is the old school chocolate malt with the wooden spoon. Host of the Dodgers Nation 3 Up, 3 Down Podcast.

3 Comments

  1. Have to admit that my impatience with White, Vesia and the others was misplaced. Still wish we had a few more experienced arms going into the postseason, but it is good to see the youngsters are getting more “ready for prime time” as the season goes on.

    1. like a man that admits his mistakes. Dodgers on the rebound with Julio, Kersh, Kelly and Betts all due back soon; and the team is also finding the right depth that will stick this year. White and Vesia look great – Bickford too.

  2. Great game by Mitch White. His reward? He was sent down & it was attributed to a roster crunch. Hopefully he gets more chances. Longterm… hope he finds a new team that will use him.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button