The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the season with high expectations. They had the superstars, were riding high as reigning championship win, and were hoping to break free from the school of thought—no team can win back-to-back. Although, the Yankees did manage to do that before! However, their bullpen, which was once the envy of others, has been far from reliable. And at the center of all that disappointment has been none other than Tanner Scott.

And well, it seems like his four-year, $72 million contract didn’t motivate him to do better, but rather added a little more pressure. He has pitched 58 games for LA this season, logging 54.1 innings with a 4.64 ERA and nine blown saves. That is more than his previous two seasons combined. His season reached a low point after he returned from the IL.

Scott posted two scoreless outings, only to give up a blown save against the Arizona Diamondbacks, followed by a walk-off homer to Baltimore and then a walk-off grand slam to the Giants. A nightmarish run that prompted him to say, “baseball hates me right now.” Los Angeles Dodgers fans aren’t too fond of him either right now.

There was a strong current of boos when he made his first appearance at Dodger Stadium since giving up that grand slam. And Scott, for his part, admitted that, “I haven’t performed to my standard and the team’s standard. I signed here and I felt good. But the year has been up and down, up and down. You never want that to happen. You always want to ride the slow curve going up, not the bumpier road. It’s been a bumpy road this year.”

And now, Scott has reached a breaking point, a mental surrender that could be the key to turning his season around. Tanner Scott has decided to adopt a new, or rather, an old attitude that he hopes will help bring him out of this slump.

The Phillies’ threat looms large

Scott himself has admitted that the pressure and overthinking have hurt his game. So he has decided to get back to his old-school, carefree attitude that allowed him to get out of the league-wide “3-and-D” type box and become an All-Star.

“I kind of just have the (to heck with it) attitude right now,” Scott said. “I’m just trying to go out there right now and not think. Just say, ‘(Screw) it.’ I mean, that’s how I always pitched. I kind of lost it this year. Now I’m back to ‘(Screw) it.’” This mental reset from the Dodgers’ most expensive reliever couldn’t come at a more crucial time.

The bullpen has collectively posted a 4.30 ERA and 1.341 WHIP, ranking 20th in MLB. And these struggles have left the Los Angeles Dodgers exposed, especially against the Phillies. They have proven deadly in the late stages of the game. In fact, John Clark from NBC Sports noted that the Phillies lead the majors with 278 runs scored in the seventh inning or later. Analysts like Alec MacNichol mentioned that nobody wants to face the Philadelphia Phillies in these high-leverage moments. Dave Roberts, too, admitted how tough it is to get a repeat championship recently.

Moreover, Roberts has been understandably frustrated by the unreliable performances from his relievers. Tanner Scott, in particular. But he remains committed to using Scott in the role he was signed to fill. It’s less of a vote of confidence, though, than an acknowledgment of need. “The last two have been good,” Roberts said. “The stuff has been better. The slider has been better. Hopefully, we found something… he’s one of our guys. So I really believe without a doubt that, for us to win the World Series, we’re gonna need him.”

Tanner himself has shown signs of life, proving that he’s not been all that bad for Shohei Ohtani & Co. The 31-year-old has posted two perfect outings since that walk-off grand slam and four consecutive appearances in total. If he can continue to produce these kinds of results, No. 66 will be a valuable piece of a bullpen that is improving with each game as October nears. In fact, Tanner Scott’s performance may very well decide if the Los Angeles Dodgers can defend their World Series title against the very team that’s built to expose their greatest weakness.