Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Edwin Diaz, after blowing multiple regular-season saves, has rebuilt his standing on the team and looks to close in the postseason.
The fall of Edwin Diaz
Diaz blew four of 11 regular-season save chances, posting an 8.68 ERA over 21 games after pitching 18.2 innings.
He had two injured-list stints: one for three months to recover from elbow surgery and another for neck inflammation.
Before the surgery, Diaz had been awful in his last two games, with a dip in velocity and a lack of stuff.
He was found to have loose bodies in his elbow, and after treatment, there was hope he could bounce back. However, he returned with better velocity but lacked the command and mechanics to do much with it.
After multiple blown saves and cataclysmic outings, Diaz returned to the IL, this time with neck issues cited.
His minor league rehab outings were rocky, and it looked like his return would be more of the same: lackluster command and movement that led to hard contact.
However, in his late-September return, he pitched five innings, allowed just one hit and one walk, and struck out nine.
Edwin Diaz’s redemption
Diaz worked his way back into Dave Roberts’ trust tree with those five innings, banking on his long-standing reputation and experience, and on the belief that he would deliver in the postseason.
In the postseason, the momentum has continued. He entered Game 2 of the NLDS and struck out two in a scoreless frame.
In Game 3, he earned the save after allowing a hard-hit double. He manufactured three outs from balls in play.
To close out the series, he earned the save in Game 4 with a strikeout and a scoreless inning.
During the series-winning celebration, Diaz got a big moment of appreciation.
He’s had a tough season. He’s been hurt. He was having trouble with his delivery and went on a long rehab assignment. But to get him pitching the way — that’s the reason why we got him. The last two nights, that’s the reason why we acquired a guy like Edwin Diaz. He’s one of the great closers in the game,” Roberts said.
“For him to be pitching his best right now, that’s what you hope for, and I give him a lot of credit.”
Going forward, Diaz will get the ball in similar situations in the NLCS, and he’ll have to deliver if he wants to really atone for his regular season performances.
