Major League Baseball

Bullpens? More like blowpens as playoff relievers get rocked

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:20 p.m. ET

Kyle Gibson kept hoping he'd someday pitch in October, take the mound in a big game when the whole sport was watching. Last week, he got that chance.

Summoned late at Yankee Stadium, the 31-year-old Minnesota right-hander entered the AL Division Series opener. The result — one inning, three runs on three walks, a hit and three stolen bases.

"First postseason opportunity, didn't go how I thought it was going to go," he said.

He's not alone.

National League closers Carlos Martinez, Mark Melancon and Sean Doolittle were tagged. All-Star setup man Ryan Pressly struggled, $140 million starter Patrick Corbin was shelled in a different role.

Bullpens? More like blowpens as playoff relievers across the majors got rocked.

Their totals so far in the ALDS and NLDS: 100 innings, 65 earned runs and a 5.85 ERA.

The most effective reliever this month? Max Scherzer, the three-time Cy Young Award winner who struck out all three batters he faced at Dodger Stadium.

And remember, Scherzer and the Washington Nationals made it this far only after rallying late against Milwaukee closer Josh Hader in the NL wild-card game.

Not exactly what fans were expecting, seeing how relievers for the eight teams that made this round combined for a 4.12 ERA in the regular season.

Then again, it's not the regular season.

"When you pitch in the postseason, you're kind of fighting — you're fighting emotions, you're fighting, like, you're pretty energetic physically, a lot of times," successful Tampa Bay starter Charlie Morton said. "It's obviously October, it's the end of the regular season. You're kind of in a spot where you really haven't been all year."

Aroldis Chapman and the New York Yankees were about the only relief corps to escape unscathed, allowing three earned runs in 13 1/3 innings. Chapman threw a called third strike past Twins slugger Nelson Cruz to finish off a 5-1 win Monday night for a three-game sweep.

"I think the really important part of it has been that we've been healthy," Chapman said through a translator.

The Dodgers watched their 'pen give up five runs in 5 1/3 innings Monday during a 6-1 loss at Washington. That sent their series back to LA for a deciding Game 5, with Walker Buehler set to start Wednesday — and longtime lefty ace Clayton Kershaw ready to relieve.

"Obviously this game Clayton was available and it was more of a situation — seventh, eighth, sixth, seventh, eighth, potentially ninth inning tied or with the lead," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Obviously the game got away from us."

"So now to preserve him and to have him ready to go, whatever we need from him, for Game 5, is certainly a good thing to be piggybacked at some point with Walker. That's kind of the thought," he said.

The Cardinals and Braves will play Game 5 in Atlanta on Wednesday. Martinez has already had two appearances this series in which he allowed three runs; he had only one all season for St. Louis. Melancon, who became the Braves' closer after he was acquired from San Francisco at the July 31 trade deadline, gave up four runs in a Game 1 loss.

Scherzer, meanwhile, pitched seven innings to help Doolittle and the Nationals tie the Dodgers at two games each. That came after Scherzer's one-inning stint Friday, on top of his start in the wild-card game last Tuesday.

Any chance we'll see him in Game 5?

"I doubt it," he said. "No, I mean, my arm is hanging right now. That was, that, that pushed me all the way to the edge and then some. So, yeah, I can't imagine any scenario where I'm pitching."