The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped a series to the Miami Marlins with a brutal loss on Sunday, September 13, thanks to a meltdown by multiple relievers.
Shaky infield defense and poorly timed missed spots from the pitchers contributed to a late-inning collapse.
“That’s kind of how it happens,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “But when you give a team extra outs, that’s what happens. It’s baseball. It sucks. It feels bad. But that’s part of the thing.”
The Dodgers were cruising through seven innings in the final game of the series. Emmet Sheehan delivered six scoreless frames in his second start since returning to the majors. Alex Vesia relieved Sheehan and tossed a clean seventh inning.
The final six outs proved elusive for L.A.’s bullpen. Edgardo Hernandez loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth inning. The hard-throwing righty permitted a single to Otto Lopez that cut the lead to one run. Closer Tanner Scott came on and struck out Griffin Conine to escape trouble.
Los Angeles tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning, but it wasn’t enough. Scott allowed three straight hits in the bottom of the frame, including a game-tying two-run double to Javier Sanoja. Brock Stewart relieved Scott and allowed a pinch-hit, walk-off home run to Agustin Ramirez.
Los Angeles Dodgers to Add Kris Bubic to Bullpen For Final Two Weeks of the Regular Season
The bullpen will get a boost during an upcoming series against the Cincinnati Reds. Left-hander Kris Bubic is expected to join the team this week, first reported by Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times. He’s been out since mid-May with elbow soreness. The Dodgers acquired Bubic in a deal with the Kansas City Royals at the trade deadline. They sent righty Carlos Duran to acquire the veteran lefty.
Bubic started a rehab assignment in September. He’s put together six scoreless appearances at Triple-A Oklahoma City. While he’s been a starter the past two seasons in Kansas City, Bubic has operated exclusively as a reliever with the Comets. He’s struck out nine and allowed just two hits across 5.2 innings.
The 28-year-old Bubic has a 4.14 ERA across 126 big-league appearances. He debuted for the Royals in 2020. Bubic moved to the bullpen in 2024 and posted one of the best seasons of his career. The Royals put him back in the rotation in 2025.
Dodgers Bullpen Searching for Answers Without Edwin Diaz
The Dodgers signed closer Edwin Diaz to lead the bullpen this season. That hasn’t gone according to plan. The veteran stopper has been limited to 16 appearances due to elbow and neck injuries. Diaz has been ineffective when available, posting an 11.85 ERA over 13.2 innings.
Scott filled in admirably for Diaz in his first stint as the team’s closer. His second time in the role hasn’t gone as smoothly. Scott has been knocked around for seven runs over his last eight appearances.
Dodgers to Add Lefty Reliever After Bullpen Collapse