The fear of watching a lead slip away never really haunted the Los Angeles Dodgers. It’s the idea of losing stability and relying on the bullpen that weighs heavily on the Dodgers. For now, they are undoubtedly at their prime as they stack up all the winning odds in their favor. However, beneath the shiny surface are the pitching injury woes that have been a threat to the Dodgers for a while now.

Sure, all the teams in the league have battled injury crises this season, but for the Dodgers, this crisis has been disastrous for the team’s structure. The bullpen has been holding the unbearable weight currently and to break it to you, it won’t last long. The team has showcased a disturbing trend. It’s shocking that the Dodgers’ bullpen is leading the league by throwing the most innings. It’s a legitimate total of 161.

Manager Dave Roberts recently opened up about how the Dodgers’ bullpen cannot take the workload anymore. He admitted that it isn’t ideal and they can’t maintain their winning streak with starting pitchers who are unable to pitch deep into games.

Dave Roberts admitted, “It just seems like certain guys—and I could go back on each starter—but you’re still trying to manage their health and … [be] mindful of the innings that the bullpen is taking on and trying to stagger as much as you can and manage leverage and all that stuff.” The Dodgers won the last World Series when the load on their bullpen was extremely high.

They barely had three starting pitchers, but they still made it to the postseason and delivered their best. However, it is highly unsustainable for the team to go through this once again. The injury list is long; at present, 13 pitchers are on the sidelines. Just to name some key pieces, pitchers such as Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone, and River Ryan are on the list.

That’s not it; one of the Dodgers’ key in-season reinforcements made his way to the 15-day injured list on Wednesday. It’s Evan Phillips, the Dodgers’ right-hander, who hurt his right forearm and won’t be seen on the field for the time being. The Dodgers know how to manage any challenges thrown against them. But they don’t want to lose stability and walk through this unsustainable path once again.

The Dodgers are under pressure to get Shohei Ohtani back on the pitching mound

The Dodgers have had a nightmare of a time dealing with pitching injury woes. Still, they managed to stay at the top and relied on their bullpen. The two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani hasn’t pitched since his elbow injury. So far, he has only been hitting and throwing easy bullpen sessions weekly. Ohtani isn’t entitled to throw sliders yet; it’s just that the doctors don’t want to risk his recovery.

However, right now, the Dodgers need Ohtani sooner than they thought. The original plan was definitely to ease him gradually into the mound, but with 13 pitchers on the injured list, they might have to find a way to get Ohtani back anytime soon. The thing is, the Dodgers need a minimum of two key arms ready by October. If that doesn’t happen, they could be in a tough spot – more than they already are right now.

When it comes to Roki Sasaki, his brief experience in the major league doesn’t make him the right fit to be their reliable arm. They are hopeful with Clayton Kershaw right now. He is expected to make an appearance in the upcoming homestand. However, he is 37, and it’s unlikely to expect limitless action from him. If you think we missed Yoshinobu Yamamoto, we didn’t. He is battling lingering shoulder issues.

That leaves the Dodgers wanting Ohtani back on the mound more than anybody else. Do you think we will see him pitching again after all this time?