The Dodgers are unstoppable— and with each dominant outing, they’re getting one step closer to again clinching the World Series ring. Yet, one thing can be a hurdle in the October Glory. The bullpen. In fact, Dave Roberts himself has now confronted the same when discussing what could derail LA’s championship defense after Game 2 of the NLCS.

In Game 2, Roberts gave the ball to Yoshinobu Yamamoto and let his relievers take the night off. Yamamoto pitched the whole game, the Dodgers’ first postseason CG since Jose Lima in 2004, giving up three hits and one run in 111 pitches. While the scoreboard said 5-1, depending on starters to go deeper isn’t a long-term fix.

Roberts didn’t dance around the issue when reporters pressed him after Yamamoto’s historic outing. “It’s a combo of each one of these guys is throwing the ball incredibly well,” Roberts explained. He also stated the reason behind using starters deep in the game. “There’s been things with the bullpen, it goes to weighing out whoever is behind them has to be a better option.”

The starting rotation deserves every accolade. Blake Snell and Yamamoto each faced the minimum through eight innings in consecutive starts, becoming the first teammates to deliver back-to-back postseason outings of at least eight innings since Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto did it for San Francisco in 2016.

The manager knows it as he said, “If you look at the construction of our roster currently, the strength is starting pitching.” Indeed, they are with an ERA of  1.65 this postseason.

However, the glaring issue remains the bullpen, which insiders are quietly calling the secret that will determine whether LA will clinch the title again or not. There have been indications of that weakness since the first pitch of this NLCS series.

Blake Snell was amazing in Game 1, pitching eight scoreless innings and giving up only one hit. He left with three outs to go, and the bullpen held on through a nervous ninth to save the win.

Fabian Ardaya broke the issue down on Foul Territory. He stated while addressing Sasaki and the bullpen, “They can’t go through this World Series run, if they’re gonna repeat, if he’s pitching in every single win.” The Dodgers still trust Sasaki, but trust alone won’t get outs in high-leverage October moments. Others need to step up, and interestingly, the manager has a plan for its bullpen.

Dave Roberts’ plan: Convert starters into bullpen arms when the stakes are highest

Roberts is now thinking about more than simply starters. He’s actively planning how to use Ohtani and Glasnow as bullpen weapons, especially if the series goes on for a long time and relief assistance becomes the key.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote on X, “Tyler Glasnow will pitch Game 3. Shohei Ohtani will pitch Game 4. This allows Glasnow to start a potential Game 7 and use Ohtani out of the bullpen in Game 7.”

Roberts has hinted at this, too.

He mentioned before Game 2 that he thought Ohtani could come in to help if the series went to seven games. “Potentially lines [Ohtani] up if we need a Game 7 out of the ‘pen,” the skipper shared at American Family Field on Tuesday. He also added that the rotation alignment “just made sense” to keep that option open.

Both Glasnow and Ohtani have proved that they can play in more than one position. Earlier in October, Glasnow pitched a clean inning in relief. And Ohtani’s rehabilitation and workload have been carefully planned so that he can change them if necessary.

This concept fits somewhat right with what the Dodgers are doing right now.

Their starters are carrying the load now, but having Ohtani available in relief gives Roberts an emergency ace in the bullpen. And Glasnow, already lined to start pivotal games, would free up that arm in this dual role. This plan might help cover those tough innings that the usual bullpen has had trouble with.

The bullpen is still a problem, but Dave Roberts’ willingness to mix starters and relievers—by using Ohtani and Glasnow in relief if needed—might be the kind of new idea that L.A. needs to make a strong push in October.