Dodgers News: Farhan Zaidi Remains Confident In Bullpen
Since the Los Angeles Dodgers overhauled their front office, team president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi have been on the same page when it came to their primary concerns — starting rotation depth and the bullpen.
Sure enough, that has been the Dodgers’ Achilles heel this season. The bullpen’s success has been inconsistent since surprisingly proving to be a strength earlier in the year, and the rotation has remained a work in progress.
Zaidi recently acknowledged the bullpen hasn’t functioned as desired and again emphasized the front office’s efforts to remedy the issue, according to Bill Plunket of the OC Register:
Obviously, it’s an area where we haven’t been as consistent as we’d like. I mean, it tends to be the most volatile part of any team so you try not to be surprised. It’s something we prioritized at the (non-waiver trade) deadline. The guys we brought in were having really good seasons. They’ve run into a little bit of a bump performance-wise and luck-wise since we’ve had them.”
However, despite some of the bullpen’s shortcomings, particularly since the All-Star break, Zaidi remains confident in the group of relievers:
I think the group has the potential to be a strength. Obviously Kenley (Jansen) has been terrific all year. But the guys that serve as the bridge between our starters and him – I think that group has the potential to be a strength.”
Since the All-Star break the Dodgers’ bullpen has an abysmal 6.22 ERA that’s resulted in losses. Los Angeles held leads in each of their two games with the Oakland Athletics and lost both contests.
Luis Avilan and Jim Johnson, two relievers acquired with visions of stabilizing the situation, have struggled themselves. In six innings of work Johnson has posted a 21.00 ERA, 6.94 FIP, plus opponents are batting .500/.556/.700. Meanwhile Avilan has thrown five innings with the Dodgers and owns a 7.20 ERA and 3.71 FIP.
Although the options are slim, the Dodgers have 10 days until the waiver deadline to acquire a relief pitcher, which Zaidi previously indicated remains a possibility.
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Doubt they can acquire any help this late in the season. So if Johnson, Avilian, Baez, Hatcher and Garcia do not get their acts together we will not win the division let alone win the WS. I truly hope they can get it together but I am not very confident.
And if we don’t win the division, we won’t be making the playoffs. The wild card is not coming out of the west this year.
Unless the Giants cave in we can’t win the division with only 1 1/2 pitcher in the pen. Jansen is the 1…Howell is the 1/2
Mark I agree with you. They have made serious mistakes with pitchers. Starting with McCarthy which will be a lode stone around the clubs neck for 3 more years!! But they traded for Hatcher, Nicasio, Peralta, Liberatore and now Wood, Johnson, Latos, Avilian and wow are they less than average. It is the same story as last year. Mattingly will get blamed for this but if they do not have a BP what is a manager supposed to do?? This Front Office is obviously so enamored with spin rates etc they cannot seem to find pitchers that can get people out. They were very high on Wood and he seems to be an average pitcher. He reminds me of a left handed Bolsinger. No real out pitch except the curve and everyone sits on it. You really need a strikeout pitch. Hatcher throws a very flat ball. Nicasio is wild Peralta is old and damaged, I have no idea what is wrong with Johnson but dang he has an ERA over 20..
Dear F.Z.
DON’T be “comfortable” with this lousy bullpen.
Sincerely,
Dodger Fans
and in other news…the titanic is unsinkable…
Mr Zaidi …How does it feel to be the only one one the PLANET who is confident of the bullpen?????
Its quite amazing that all these entitled Ivy League snots who bumrushed our front office last year end up being EVEN dumber than our last GM, the Italian goombah Ned Colletti. Andrew Friedman and his calculator nerd squad have been wrong in 98% of their moves this past 10 months.