Edwin Díaz blew his third save of the season for the Los Angeles Dodgers in just eight opportunities and his second in as many nights against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
On Friday in the series opener, the Dodgers took a 3-2 lead into the ninth inning as Díaz was called on to protect the lead. He gave up a leadoff walk, then recorded a strikeout, and finally allowed a walk-off home run to extend the Dodgers’ losing streak to seven games.
On Saturday, Díaz was called upon with a 1-0 lead in the ninth, and he immediately allowed back-to-back triples that tied the game.
But with the winning run on third base and no one out, the right-hander locked in and kept the Diamondbacks from winning. He finished off the inning with a lineout, a popout, an intentional walk, and then a strikeout to send the game to extra innings.
“I think for me, it was just the intensity,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said about what changed for Díaz after the back-to-back triples. “I think you saw once they scored the run, man on third base, nobody out, you saw the intensity pick up.
“The stuff picked up, the fastball got better, the slider got better. Even talking to him after the game, that’s how we have to be from the first pitch. That was the first game I saw this year where he had some real intensity.”
It’s been a difficult season for Díaz, who underwent right elbow surgery to remove loose bodies and missed roughly three months, and when he’s been on the mound, he’s been ineffective. The highly-paid closer has a 10.80 ERA in 10 innings with a 2.50 WHIP and 15 strikeouts.
He’s allowed at least one run in seven of his 12 appearances and multiple runs in three of them.
Given the struggles, Roberts is surprised Díaz hasn’t pitched with intensity up until Saturday after another blown save. The skipper hopes Díaz can now continue to pitch with fire after earning the win.
“Yeah, I mean, I don’t know if it’s just kind of you want to be perfect, you’re trying to get your feet under you,” Roberts said. “He’s been in rehab mode a lot, but this is something I think can be a springboard for outings to come.”
Before joining the Dodgers, Díaz established himself as a top-five reliever in baseball, and now L.A. needs him to get back to at least being effective if they hope to have a deep postseason run.
Edwin Díaz blames slider for struggles
Díaz believes his struggles stem from issues with his slider. However, he downplayed any concerns about a lack of feeling for the pitch or a decline in his stuff.
“I think I’m just trying to be perfect with that pitch, and it’s missing right over the middle. I’ve got to be better,” Díaz said.
Despite his long layoff and recent return, Díaz didn’t want to make any excuses for his slider being ineffective and emphasized a need to figure things out quickly.
“I’ve got to find it tonight or tomorrow when I come to the field,” Díaz said. “That’s my pitch. I’ve got a good fastball, but my slider is my strikeout pitch. I’ve got to keep working. Just got to do my job better.”
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