{"id":707980,"date":"2026-05-25T02:09:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T02:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/707980\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T02:09:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T02:09:18","slug":"dodgers-bullpen-extends-scoreless-streak-beats-host-brewers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/707980\/","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers bullpen extends scoreless streak, beats host Brewers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MILWAUKEE\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Looking back, Alex Vesia<\/a> can say that when was traded from the Miami Marlins to the Dodgers with fellow pitching prospect Kyle Hurt<\/a> in 2021, he had \u201cno idea\u201d what it actually meant to trust the process.<\/p>\n

Sure, it\u2019s a cliche, and one most strongly associated with the Philadelphia 76ers\u2019 rebuild in the NBA a decade ago. But it\u2019s had staying power in the sports lexicon for a reason.<\/p>\n

The mantra clicked for Vesia in his first season with the Dodgers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first heard of it, it was just like, OK, I know what a process is,\u201d he said before the Dodgers\u2019 5-1 win<\/a> against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday. \u201cBut then watching it over the course of the year \u2014 where fastballs need to be placed, where sliders need to go, just trusting the information. That when a guy swings a lot at sliders and misses them, trusting that when you throw yours, he will miss it. <\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Dodgers\u2019 Andy Pages celebrates his two-run home run with teammate Kyle Tucker during a win over the Brewers Sunday in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n

(Patrick McDermott \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then over the course of a few outings, when you see those results, it\u2019s like, \u2018OK, I can do this\u2019 more and more and more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vesia is now one of the veteran leaders in a Dodgers bullpen that set a franchise record Saturday with 36 consecutive scoreless innings, surpassing the mark of 33 set in 1998. The Dodgers extended the streak to 38 on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast night was awesome,\u201d Vesia said Sunday, a day after a dominant 11-3 win. \u201cIt was a really great game because it showed how versatile our bullpen can be, that we don\u2019t need a set inning for the guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, manager Dave Roberts<\/a> could play matchups \u2014 having left-handers Vesia and Tanner Scott<\/a> face the more heavily left-handed heart of the order, and Hurt check in for the right-handers at the bottom and top \u2014 until the Dodgers\u2019 offense made it a blowout. <\/p>\n

On Sunday, the bullpen had only to cover two innings, thanks to a steady performance by Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a>, who limited the Brewers to one run through seven innings. And the Dodgers relievers had a four-run cushion to work with, thanks to a fifth-inning rally that included a two-run triple from Kyle Tucker<\/a> and a two-run homer from Andy Pages<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Right-hander Will Klein<\/a> retired the top of the order in a clean eighth inning, and Scott set down the next three Brewers, putting the finishing touches on a series win in a rematch of last year\u2019s National League Championship Series. <\/p>\n

\"Dodgers <\/p>\n

Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts turns a double play during a win Sunday in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n

(Kayla Wolf \/ Ap Photo\/kayla Wolf)<\/p>\n

As Roberts reflected on the 7-2 road trip to Anaheim, San Diego and Milwaukee, he highlighted the bullpen\u2019s impact: \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of different guys that are the reason why they\u2019ve been so successful recently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Entering the season, much of the chatter surrounding the bullpen centered on the addition of closer Edwin D\u00edaz<\/a>. But he\u2019s been on the injured list (elbow surgery) since April 20, and the relief corps has been on a roll.<\/p>\n

Without a closer, the Dodgers\u2019 circle of trust in close games includes a good mix of veteran arms and budding talent, from Scott, Vesia and Blake Treinen<\/a> to Hurt, Klein and Jack Dreyer<\/a> (on the 15-day IL because of left shoulder discomfort).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a bunch of selfless guys who know that the job is to throw up a zero and give it to the next guy,\u201d Klein said. \u201cI think we\u2019re all just trying to give our offense a chance to do what we know they can do. And I think that showed up last night, and it showed up a lot the last two weeks. They\u2019ve been playing really well, and so I think we know if we just go out there, put up a zero, they\u2019ll do it the next inning \u2014 and if they don\u2019t, we try again.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bullpen\u2019s scoreless streak stretches back through the eighth inning of a 6-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants<\/a> on May 12. It covers a bullpen game, when the group filled in for Blake Snell after he was scratched<\/a> from his start in Anaheim, and the series in San Diego, where the Dodgers relievers outperformed the Padres\u2019 renowned bullpen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to give credit to the starters and the hitters, and the guys playing great defense too,\u201d Hurt said. \u201cSo, it\u2019s not just us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though good defense and some luck is involved in any scoreless streak this long \u2014 opponents entered Sunday with a .147 batting average on balls in play against Dodgers relievers since their shutout performance on May 13 \u2014 it\u2019s no fluke either. The Dodgers bullpen still leads the majors in the Fielding Independent Pitching category (2.35) in that time.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the secret stuff?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe secret stuff is, there is no secret stuff,\u201d Klein said. \u201cSometimes when you look for an answer, or you look for the magic to fix things, that\u2019s when you overdo it and things start spiraling. But I think everyone knows that it\u2019s one pitch at a time, and if you think about the result, you\u2019re not as ingrained in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the moral in \u201cSpace Jam\u201d too.<\/p>\n

The ripple effects of that consistency have been clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt frees up the offense a little bit,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cRegardless of who comes into a ballgame, I think they have the confidence now to go up and put up a zero. And it makes my life easier because you trust a lot more guys. And that\u2019s what these guys have earned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris Taylor retires, for real this time<\/p>\n

Two-time World Series champion Chris Taylor cleared up confusion over his retirement Sunday, announcing on Instagram<\/a> that he was officially closing the door on his playing career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m beyond grateful to all of my coaches and teammates, and the organizations who allowed me to live out my childhood dream,\u201d he wrote in part. \u201cI\u2019ll forever cherish the memories along the way and most of all, the friendships that will last a lifetime. Thank you to the loyal fans who have supported me through my success and stuck with me through the struggles.\u201d <\/p>\n

He also thanked his parents and family. And he wrapped up his post with a message to his wife Mary: \u201cYou stepped up for our family and allowed me to see my dream through all the way to the end and then some. I can\u2019t wait to start our next chapter in life together with our boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor spent a decade with the Dodgers, including four trips to the World Series and a 2017 NLCS MVP performance. The 2021 All-Star owns a career .248\/.327\/.419 slash line.<\/p>\n