As LA gets close to defending their World Series title, beneath their championship aspirations, there’s a troubling reality—BULLPEN! While their rotation stands second in MLB with an ERA of 2.53, their bullpen tells a different story. Ranked 20th in MLB with a 4.28 ERA, the Dodgers’ relief corps has become the Achilles heel. However, Dodgerland believes they’ve uncovered the perfect remedy for manager Dave Roberts.

The Dodgers’ bullpen is currently their biggest weakness, as shown by Blake Treinen’s problems in their most recent game against the Giants. Treinen came in the eighth inning with a 1-0 lead, but he gave up two singles, a ground-rule double, and a walk, which led to a run. In the end, the team lost the game 3-1. In his last nine games this month, he has lost five times, and his ERA has risen to 11.57 over seven innings in September. But now, fans have come up with a solution!

Utilize two starters in a game. One fan uploaded a picture of Ohtani and Sheehan with the caption on X, “Stack these two in a playoff game so no one else out of the bullpen needs to throw a pitch.” It’s easy to understand.

If they have good pitchers who can pitch numerous innings, the club might not need the rest of the bullpen at all in the playoffs. Interestingly, a lot of them agreed with that idea.

In the same game, Treinen gave away the lead later. Emmet Sheehan was the one who kept the game in control before the lead vanished. He pitched seven scoreless innings against the Giants, giving up only one hit and striking out ten. And this was only his second season in the big leagues. His season ERA has been quite good (2.86), which is why fans think he can take on greater responsibilities.

On the other hand, Shohei Ohtani has had a few great games. One of them was the night of September 16, when he pitched five no-hit innings against the Phillies, showing off his stuff and control. He has tossed 41 innings over 13 starts this season, with an ERA of about 3.29 over those games. Plus, the two-way star has been a big help on offense.

Despite all that, Dave Roberts has his trust in Treinen. “I’ve got to trust what I’m seeing, and not solely bet on the person or track record,” the skipper remarked. He wants to see Treinen’s confidence return. “We all need to see a couple good outings but most importantly, I want to see his confidence up. And to be quite honest, I think that right now he’s just not as confident in himself as I am in him.”

The skipper might have trust, but the fans are losing patience. So, when the solution came, all they wanted was to implement it.

Fan reactions: The roadmap for October success for the blueprint master

The two-starter concept has generated passionate responses, each offering tactical insights into how this strategy might unfold. “Yamamoto → Shohei, Snell → Kershaw, Glasnow → Sheehan — a six-man rotation would be enough.” A change in rotation in such a manner that high-quality starters are matched together, which could mean that there are fewer chances for the bullpen.

Yet another calculation. “This is what I keep saying! Take all 6 starters and use two of them as long relievers where you only use the starter plus the long reliever in that game. Then our horrendous bullpen only needs to fill about 6 innings every 4 games.” The most analytical fans have figured out exactly how this approach would keep the bullpen from being used too much. It shows how data-driven thinking supports the two-starter plan.

Another fan chimed in with a suggestion of dropping arms from the roster. The comment read, “And drop Treinen and Yates off of the postseason roster.” While Treinen’s performance is out there, Yates, who is 38 years old, hasn’t been able to put up decent numbers, either. He appeared in 50 games for the Dodgers in 2025, going 4-3 with a 5.23 ERA over 41.1 innings, striking out 52 batters, posting a 1.33 WHIP, and collecting 3 saves. Will Roberts consider what fans are suggesting, though? The same skepticism came next in the comment section.

“Great idea. Too great though, Roberts wouldn’t even ever think about that.” The way Dave Roberts has said he is confident and won’t doubt Treinen’s ability on a few bad outings, it’s hard to say that this idea will exist in his blueprint. As Roberts also mentioned, “We’re in as good a spot [with our rotation] as we’ve been in.”

But amid all the strategies, a playful optimism grabbed our attention. “ShoShee SheeSho.” Fans are excited about the idea of this possible pairing. The creative nicknames show just how much they love it.

As October approaches, the Dodgers have a big decision to make. Their top-notch pitching staff, which has the best ERA in the NL, is what makes them a title team. But problems with the bullpen could stop them from defending their title. The two-starter approach that fans came up with is an interesting idea that makes the most of their best strength while downplaying their biggest weakness. Yet the question remains: Will Dave Roberts go for it?