Dodgers’ Ask Me Anything: Bullpen game, Freeman’s health and more

LOS ANGELES — The stage is set. The Dodgers and Yankees, two of the most historic franchises in the sport, will be facing off in the World Series for the first time since 1981. Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, arguably the two best players in the world, will take center stage in the Fall Classic for the first time in their decorated careers.

But before that all gets going on Friday, we held an Ask Me Anything on Reddit with Dodgers fans at r/dodgers to set up the World Series matchup. This mailbag features questions and answers from there. The full AMA can be read here.

If you had to guess, what are the chances, as of now, that both Vesia and Graterol will be on the World Series roster?
This is hard one to answer because we haven’t had much access the past couple of days. But on Tuesday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said both guys are “trending in the right direction” and will be game-time decisions when the roster is due on Friday.

Right now, I would say there’s a better chance of Alex Vesia being on the roster than Brusdar Graterol. Vesia would be a key piece for the Dodgers, especially with the number of left-handed hitters in the Yankees’ lineup, particularly Juan Soto. Graterol would also be a big addition, but he hasn’t pitched much this season with a recurring right shoulder issue.

Under which scenarios do you expect Doc to put out a BP Game 3 vs. 4? I know that a BP Game 3 means that a potential Game 7 would have to also be a BP game (maybe with help from Buehler on short rest), but a BP Game 4 is rough without a rest day before or after (and Buehler might need above-average BP coverage). What do you think will tip the scales to make that decision?
This is a good question, and something the Dodgers are still working through. Obviously we now know Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will get the first two games, but they need to figure out when they’ll deploy that bullpen game.

Things can change (I almost expect it to at this point in the year), but my initial guess is they’ll try to run it in Game 3. Now, that will all be contingent on how the Dodgers come out of the first two games and where they are in the series.

Going to the bullpen in Game 3 guarantees that all their high-leverage arms would be available out of the bullpen after the off-day. It would also line up Walker Buehler for Game 4, and he, along with every other starter on the roster, would be available in a potential Game 7. All hands would be on deck if it gets to that point. But like I said, a lot of it will be decided once the Dodgers know where they stand after the first two games at Dodger Stadium.

Do you think Ben Casparius is gonna be our main bulk guy during the bullpen game? Or do you see Doc using him more sporadically in higher leverage situations throughout the series and going with Knack/Honeywell to give us length instead? Ben was great in the last round, and I think finding key innings for him is going to be big for us.
I think it’s fair to assume that Brent Honeywell and Casparius will play a bigger role in this series than Landon Knack. Both Honeywell and Casparius showed well in the National League Championship Series, while Knack had one of the worst appearances of his season in Game 2 against the Mets.

Honeywell and Casparius both have experience as starters and are now coming out of the bullpen. Again, a lot will depend on how the series shakes out, but I do expect both of those guys to play significant roles in this series as multi-inning options.

How do you expect our hitters to adjust to the likes of Gerrit Cole and [Carlos] Rodón? I know Flaherty said he will make adjustments after his bad outing in Queens, but do you expect a good G1 from him, or do you think he will trend downwards?
This lineup is locked in right now, so I don’t see many pitchers in the world that can shut it out if it keeps this approach. Going into the series, the Dodgers don’t have many — if any — concerns with where they are with their lineup.

They are, however, going to have to get some big-time production out of their pitchers, especially their starters. Yamamoto, Buehler and Flaherty all showed flashes throughout the NLCS, but they’ll need to find a way to get deeper into games to allow the bullpen to stay as fresh as possible.

How did you interpret Freddie’s “100% go” comments for the WS? Was it “absolutely 100% playing but slightly diminished to an extent” or “back to 100% health”?
The comments were that Freddie Freeman will be in the lineup in Game 1. Even with the time off between the NLCS and the World Series, Freeman won’t be 100 percent the rest of the way. It was a pretty serious ankle injury, and it’s something that he’ll have to play through. But at least he feels like he’s in a better place, which would obviously help the Dodgers‘ lineup.

With the recent passing of the great Fernando Valenzuela, will the Dodgers be honoring him at Dodger Stadium with a special ceremony or wear a special patch on their jerseys in honor of him?
Still no word on a patch, though it might be too sudden for that. They will definitely honor the legendary Valenzuela at Dodger Stadium throughout the World Series.