Los Angeles Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz has not delivered on the mound for the team, and his blown save against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday was rock bottom.
He hung a slider in the upper right quadrant of the plate against Ryan Waldschmidt, resulting in a walk-off home run.
Before Waldschmidt’s blast, Diaz walked a hitter, leading to a two-run shot, and the closer gave up a 3-2 lead in a 4-3 loss.
After the game, Diaz faced the media, explaining what led to his blown save.
“I think the slider. I think the fastball was great today; you know, I missed the slider right in the middle, and it paid off,” Diaz said.
“So I got to find a way to throw better, execute better pitches, and if I do that, it will be better. I think I’m just trying to be perfect with that pitch, and I’m just missing right in the middle. I’ve got to be better at that.
“I’m a big league pitcher, so I’ve got to make pitches, so next time when I come to the game, I’ve got to do better.”
Where do the Dodgers go from here?
When he started the season rocky, things ended up being explained away by his injury, with all indications that the Dodgers were hoping to get the best from Diaz down the stretch after he recovered for a few months.
In the minor leagues during his rehabilitation assignment, things looked good for the most part, showing new life in his fastball, good movement, and overall looking like he would step right into the closer role.
However, since coming back, things have looked really bad.
He has now allowed five runs in three innings, alongside six hits, two walks, and two home runs. His hard contact is coming from bad pitches, which are caused by a lack of command.
The problem for the Dodgers is that no member of the bullpen looks particularly sharp right now. Given Diaz’s status and contract, it will be hard for LA to relinquish the closer role after four appearances, but come postseason time, if things don’t get better, he will be out of a job.
3 Responses
Might want to consider letting him work out the kinks in lower leverage situations in the 6th or 7th inning.
100%. But blowing saves is not new for him. Terrible run blowing em with the mets
Absolutely.