Alex Vesia Praises Dodgers Relievers Closing Out Diamondbacks: ‘We Have Dogs in the Bullpen’

As Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw made his departure in the second inning Friday night, the bullpen became the unlikely hero of the 10-9 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The opening contest of the four-game series in Arizona was crucial to win, but with the Dodgers starter making an early exit, it was doubtful that Los Angeles would come out of the rivalry matchup victorious.

The bullpen answered the call. In an impromptu bullpen game, the Dodgers turned to Joe Kelly, Alex Vesia, Ryan Brasier, Michael Kopech, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen, and Anthony Banda to hold off the Diamondbacks for eight innings.

“I put the team in a really tough spot, having the bullpen cover eight innings,” Kershaw told MLB.com’s Michael Reynolds. “But the team did amazing, they battled and grinded. And the bullpen is hanging after today, and I’m disappointed that I was the culprit of that, but they did an unbelievable job.”

There were some bumps in the road. Kelly was the first reliever to take the mound. He struggled with his command throughout his outing. Kelly exceeded the step-off limit which resulted in a run-scoring balk.

Banda, who was pitching for the third consecutive day, gave up four runs that slimmed the Dodgers’ five-run lead to just one run in the ninth inning.

Nevertheless, a number of relievers had strong performances on the mound. Vesia earned four pivotal outs in the fourth frame. Brasier, Kopech, Hudson, and Treinen each posted scoreless innings.

Most of the bullpen had already pitched within the last week, yet they still got the job done at Chase Field Friday night.

“We have some absolute dogs in our bullpen, circumstances like this is when it comes out,” Vesia said.

The Dodgers’ bullpen certainly put on an unexpected show against the Snakes.

Key offseason acquisitions for the Dodgers, Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, are both dealing with injuries. Manager Dave Roberts said he isn’t positive Glasnow will pitch in September, which means there isn’t a timetable for his return. The millions allocated to adding Glasnow and Yamamoto might not pay off in the way the Dodgers had hoped.

The Dodgers’ rotation turned to rookie Gavin Stone, Jack Flaherty, and Kershaw to defend the Los Angeles lead in the National League West. After Kershaw’s untimely departure, the Dodgers will need to make corresponding moves to combat his absence from an already dwindled rotation.

Despite the ongoing saga of the starting rotation, the bullpen displayed its resilience on Friday night. The 10-9 victory over Arizona, wouldn’t have been possible without the bullpen.

Photo Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

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