The Dodgers Bullpen Improves in the Month of June
Although a good amount of hate towards the Dodgers’ bullpen has been deserved, they have done their best to change our minds over the last month.
This tweet from Alanna Rizzo puts things into perspective:
For all of the criticism the #Dodgers bullpen has received (understandable), they have steadily improved over the course of the season:
ERA (MLB Rank)
April 4.53 (26th)
May 4.64 (17th)
June 3.26 (2nd)— AlaNNa Rizzo (@alannarizzo) July 2, 2019
The start was obviously rough with a bullpen ERA around 4.50 over the first two months of the season. A 3.26 ERA in June is a breath of fresh air.
It has been no secret that the offense and the starting rotation have been the Dodgers’ strengths in the first half, but with the bullpen slowly but surely coming around, the club has become a more well-balance team. This change in bullpen performance should not discourage Andrew Friedman and the rest of the front office from making an impact move for the bullpen, but it certainly encouraging that the core of guys already on the team have improved.
Dodgers Bullpen Compared to the Rest of MLB
Taking a look at stats outside of ERA, which is very a flawed statistic to use when talking about the bullpen, this is how the Dodgers’ bullpen ranked amongst the rest of the National League in June:
- FIP: 3.92 (6th)
- WAR: 0.7 (5th)
- HR/9: 1.05 (6th)
- K%: 25.3 (3rd)
- BB%: 9.3 (8th)
- WHIP: 1.11 (2nd)
- SIERA: 3.98 (5th)
Not too bad.
Overall
After a big move or two at the deadline, the team should carry its success into August, September, and most importantly, October.
