Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Criticizes LA Bullpen, 'They Need To Be Better'

The Dodgers Bullpen blew another lead.

In a game where Dodger fans saw a back-and-forth battle between the Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox, there was a great pitching performance that was put on display from Dodgers' ace and veteran, Clayton Kershaw.

Through six innings and a pitch count of 97, Kershaw had allowed just two solo home runs and dealt five strikeouts before being replaced by the bullpen with a 4-2 lead at the end of the sixth.

Clayton Kershaw didn't have his best stuff but he absolutely battled tonight against the White Sox. His (likely) final line:

6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 12 whiffs, 97 pitches.

Just two solo home runs ended up hurting him. Hopefully the Dodgers can get him some run support.

— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) June 15, 2023

After Kershaw's departure, the game began to get away from the Dodgers as the bullpen allowed six runs in the final two innings, including a moonshot from White Sox Infielder, Jake Burger, collecting his second home run of the evening. 

The Dodgers bullpen would go on to drop the win at home, diminishing Kershaw's performance in a 8-4 loss against the White Sox. 

Dodgers Manager, Dave Roberts, was extremely critical of the bullpen's efforts and was not hesitant in voicing his frustrations in last night's post-game presser. 

"It’s very frustrating, and they have to do better," Roberts said. "It’s not workload. It’s not the wrong lanes or the right lanes, it’s they need to be better. Period."

This isn't the first time Dave Roberts has expressed scrutiny towards the bullpen this season, as the most recent time was in last Tuesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds, where the bullpen also blew a lead, resulting in a 9-8 loss in Cincinnati. 

With injured starters like Dustin May and Julio Urias, bullpen games have been a crucial strategy in Roberts' recent gameplan, limiting the amount of innings starting pitchers have been playing and giving them the rest they need in this very long baseball season.

With that being said, is the idea for the Dodgers to rely on the bullpen as a 'fifth starter' a good one?

At this point, probably not, but the bullpen will get another chance on Friday in yet another bullpen game. That's sure to be interesting.