Blake Treinen Has Optimistic View Despite 'Self-Inflicted' Trouble

The Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen collectively fell short of expectations last season, and Blake Treinen is among those looking to get back on track in 2026.

He's had an uneven performance in Spring Training thus far, which continued on Friday night as Treinen walked the first two batters faced upon entering the game in the fifth inning. He threw eight balls out of 10 total pitches to that point. His third walk of the inning loaded the bases with two outs.

Treinen managed to escape the jam by striking out Connor Joe on his patented sweeper.

"I was talking a little bit on the bench and I was like, 'Hey, you know what? I checked a box. I got out of a bases-loaded jam.' Self-inflicted, but checked a box," Treinen said of his performance on SportsNet LA.

"I thought overall, the slider was so much better than it's been. The first-pitch command with the heater is really what got me. A couple close pitches that just got to be there on my part. Overall, I think it's a great step in the right direction.

"The walks obviously stink, but it's probably the best my slider has been in camp, so I'm grateful for that. The fastball will be there. Outside of that, the walks sucked, but find the positives and focus on those. I think it's a great building block."

Treinen has issued five walks in just 3.1 innings pitched across five Cactus League appearances. When he walked two batters against the Colorado Rockies on March 7, it resulted in allowing four runs. That's the lone appearance Treinen has allowed a run in this spring.

"I think the first three hitters he faced were left-handers, and there was a couple walks in there. Once you got the right-handers in there, I thought the slider played much better," Roberts said of Treinen's performance against the Seattle Mariners.

"I thought the fastball, sinker, was OK. But again, for a guy like Blake, Spring Training results aren't what we're looking for. So for him to have a takeaway, that the slider was good and he felt comfortable, that's a win."

Dave Roberts confident in Blake Treinen

When previously discussing the veteran's outlook for this season, Roberts opined that Treinen has "a lot in the tank."

Treinen not only is entering his 12th year but he dealt with right forearm tightness last season. In Roberts' estimation, however, age and health aren't an issue for Treinen in 2026.

"I know that the age is one thing, but for me, it's what I see and what the ball is doing. He's healthy again, the ball is coming out really well. For me, I don't care about the age. The body is moving well, he's still strong," Roberts said.

Treinen finished the 2025 season 2-7 with two saves (five blown saves), a 5.40 ERA, 4.75 FIP and 1.84 WHIP while being limited to just 32 appearances. He averaged a career-best 12.15 strikeouts per nine innings, but it was accompanied by 6.41walks per nine that were the highest in any season.