The postseason hasn’t been kind to the Dodgers since their 2020 World Series victory.

They were eliminated from the NLDS for two years. Facing elimination again in Game 4 against the Padres on Wednesday, Los Angeles turned to the bullpen to keep the series alive — and it worked.

The bullpen went out and the offense went on an 8-0 outburst, pushing the series to a decisive Game 5 at Dodger Stadium.

San Diego’s lineup struggled to adjust, facing eight different Dodgers pitchers throughout the game. Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill admitted it was frustrating, saying, “I think that’s one of the most annoying things… It kind of takes you back to Spring Training. You face one man, and it’s a new man every time.

Merrill went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, while holding the Padres to just seven hits.

The Dodgers started Ryan Brasier, who got through the first four outs. When San Diego’s left-handed hitters came up in the second inning, manager Dave Roberts brought in Anthony Banda, who quickly ended a two-on-two-out threat by getting Jake Cronenworth to pop out.

Michael Kopech entered in the third, making his first appearance since coming to LA at the trade deadline. He kept things steady before passing the ball to Alex Vesia in the fourth to handle more left-field play. From there, Roberts continued to roll out his bullpen, using Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson and Blake Treinen to close out the game.

“We’ve been saying it all year. Our bullpen is special,” said Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia. “We have eight, nine, 10 guys who can all get into very high-leverage situations, and I think it shows. The script for us can be written in many different ways and we use that to our advantage enormously.”

In the ninth, rookie Landon Knack made his postseason debut, sealing the combined shutout. While the Dodgers controlled the game, they all but guaranteed that the series would return to Dodger Stadium for a winner-takes-all Game 5.

Roberts didn’t rule out a similar bullpen strategy for Friday, even though starters Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are available.

“I’m proud,” Roberts said. “Going into the postseason, it’s a street fight. It’s about people, players, and your desire must be greater than that of your opponent. And seeing our guys go through what they went through and seeing how they respond really gets me excited about Game 5.”