The Dodgers have slipped from the NL West lead as their bullpen suffers collapse after collapse, despite strong starting work from Glasnow and Snell. Front-office sentiment hinges on a late-season bullpen overhaul, even as the Padres surge atop the standings with Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. supplying the backbone of a fortified lineup and a bullpen refreshed by Mason Miller. A six-game spell with San Diego in the next 10 days could tilt the balance again, turning a season-long closer conundrum into a playoff-defining moment.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts scrambled for ninth-inning options after Wednesday’s setback, leaning on a demoted-to-prospect arm and a reluctant Treinen, who isn’t fully stretched. The team has the fifth-best record in the NL and needs a rapid bullpen reset if any championship pulse is to beat a Padres machine that’s found its rhythm. Off the field, Friedman hints at a dramatic bullpen transformation by playoff time, but the clock is ticking with Los Angeles staring down a pivotal weekend and a wine bottle waiting in the manager’s office if relief blows keep piling up.