ST. LOUIS -- The fact that Scott Elbert was pitching in the seventh inning of a tied playoff game tells you all you need to know about the state of the Los Angeles Dodgers' bullpen.
In fact, that Elbert was even in St. Louis wearing a Dodgers uniform for pregame introductions tells you all you need to know about the state of the Dodgers' pen.
Elbert once was a flame-throwing left-handed pitcher and a first-round draft pick. That was before three elbow surgeries. That was before he was designated for assignment in midseason. That was before he had a 4.91 ERA pitching for Triple-A Albuquerque.
The Dodgers were so excited by his 4⅓ innings for them in September and so desperate for fresh arms, they decided at the last minute to put him on their playoff roster at the exclusion of slick-fielding infielder Darwin Barney and young slugging outfielder Joc Pederson.
And when manager Don Mattingly decided Hyun-Jin Ryu had enough after needing 94 pitches to throw six strong innings after a three-week layoff, Mattingly wanted a lefty to start the seventh. Left-handed batters Jon Jay and Kolten Wong were due up in the inning, and Mike Matheny's pinch hitter of choice in this series, Oscar Taveras, also hits left-handed.
The Dodgers' other bullpen lefty, J.P. Howell, was on fumes in September and had given up a two-run home run in Game 2 to let the St. Louis Cardinals tie it. Another eighth-inning option, Pedro Baez, had given up a long Matt Holliday home run in Game 1.
So, Elbert was probably as surprised as anybody, given the past few trying seasons he has had, to be out there on that stage. But he didn't let on.
"You have to be prepared for whatever's thrown at you," he said.
That phrase seems to apply more accurately to opposing hitters when Dodgers relievers are in games these days.
The Dodgers' bullpen has allowed a home run in every game this series to a team that was last in the National League in home runs. Wong connected for the decisive two-run blast in the Cardinals' 3-1 win on Monday night that put the Dodgers on the brink of elimination.
Considering the Dodgers have 12 relievers on their roster, it's a bit surprising Mattingly let Elbert start the inning. He allowed a leadoff double to right-handed hitting catcher Yadier Molina that started the whole mess.
But other than that, what choice does Mattingly have, short of turning Kenley Jansen into a modern-day Rollie Fingers and asking him to pitch three innings at a time, which is not going to happen in this era. Should he risk burning out or even injuring one of his starters?
Brian Wilson's velocity is down more than 5 mph, and he nibbles at the strike zone. Brandon League also is strike-zone averse at times and susceptible to home runs. Howell was effective for most of the season, but has been shaky lately.
Baez and Carlos Frias are completely unproven. Jamey Wright and Dan Haren are converted starters and hardly overpowering. Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt retired 17 years ago and is 60 years old.
"We knew the Cardinals were a team with some good left-handed hitters, and we wanted to be able to neutralize them. Obviously, to this point, we have not been able to," Mattingly said. "[Matt] Carpenter has just continued to pound on us. [John] Jay hits our lefties.
"We've just got to continue to maybe search a little different avenue to get these guys out."
Asked how the Dodgers could continue to have confidence in their bullpen, catcher A.J. Ellis paused for a beat or two.
"I mean, it's the guys we've got," Ellis said. "These are the guys who have done it before and have gotten big outs in playoff games before, so just trust what they're doing, trust their stuff, trust what they're trying to do to get guys out.
"There's really not time for huge adjustments or anything. You've got to just go out tomorrow and out-compete the guy you're facing."
The Dodgers' bullpen has been a worry since right about the time Wilson blew a save in San Diego in the third game of the season and hit the disabled list with elbow irritation. It continued to plague the team through the July trade deadline, but general manager Ned Colletti balked at the high asking price teams had for the few relievers who changed teams. The Dodgers were intent on holding onto Pederson and their other two prized prospects, Corey Seager and Julio Urias.
That decision doesn't seem as questionable as the construction of the bullpen to begin with, adding expensive former closers who had been demoted or dealt with arm injuries, or the fact the Dodgers' farm system can't seem to produce reliable arms.
If the Dodgers' season is, in fact, extinguished by a bullpen that can't extinguish much of anything these days, they can't say they didn't see this one coming.