Edwin Díaz hasn’t lived up to expectations in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he is hoping to finish the year on a good note and perhaps emerge as a bigger factor during the playoffs.
Since returning from the 15-day injured list over the weekend, the right-hander has thrown two scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants. In those appearances, he allowed just two baserunners and collected four strikeouts.
“Yeah, 100%,” Díaz said when asked if he feels as good as he has all season. “I’ve been able to throw strikes. That was my problem and concern. I wasn’t throwing my fastball for strike. Now I’m able to command my fastball pretty good. When I command my fastball, my slider plays up. So I feel really good right now.”
Díaz’s success is coming after an uneven rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City that drew some criticism from manager Dave Roberts. The three-time All-Star gave up five runs in his second-to-last appearance and was reminded that he needed to pitch better.
Díaz bounced back with a scoreless effort after working on some adjustments with Comets pitching coaches Ryan Dennick and David Anderson. It’s still early, but Díaz believes the changes have helped him regain command of his fastball, which had been an issue throughout the season.
“I think my mechanics are better,” Díaz said. “After my rough game in Triple-A, I sat down with the Triple-A pitching coach to see what was the problem. We found I wasn’t moving my hips the right way, so we started working on that.
Díaz further noted his slider is back to being the devastating secondary pitch that he has become known for in his career.
“Yeah, right now it’s really good,” Díaz said. “It’s going down and away. I’ve been able to throw my fastball glove side, and if I throw my fastball glove side, [the slider] will play up in the same path.”
Edwin Díaz benefiting from new role
Prior to rejoining the Dodgers, Roberts made it clear that Díaz would not be returning to the closer role anytime soon as a way to ease him back into action. Both of his appearances against the Giants came in low-leverage situations, and Díaz believes that approach has helped him thrive so far.
“Yeah, yeah. I have an open mind. I’m in the situation right now where I need to help this team to win,” Díaz explained. “Whenever Doc puts me in the game, in any situation, I will do my job. And I feel good. I just want to keep climbing the ladder and finish the season strong.”
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