Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Tanner Scott, after throwing 27 pitches Tuesday, came in to close out Wednesday’s 10-inning thriller against the Colorado Rockies and earned his 18th save of the year—adding yet another highlight to a fantastic season so far.
Scott, an All-Star in 2024, signed with the Dodgers ahead of 2025, but he didn’t give the team what they expected from him. Scott pitched in 61 games for the Dodgers last season, posting a 4.74 ERA with 10 blown saves and getting benched in the postseason due to his inconsistencies.
The Dodgers compensated for Scott’s shortcomings by signing All-Star closer Edwin Diaz in the offseason, but Scott made sure he still had a spot in the bullpen despite some new competition. Through 55 games this season, Scott has a 2.28 ERA, and leads the team in saves after his 18th on Wednesday.
He has a career-low 0.92 WHIP on the season, and has 63 strikeouts through just 51.1 innings pitched.
His results aren’t the only impressive point of Scott’s game this year, though, as his resolve appears much stronger than last year. Despite throwing a four-out, 27-pitch save Tuesday, Scott told manager Dave Roberts he was good to go again on Wednesday.
“He’s been huge,” Roberts said. “I had a conversation with him earlier today, and he said he felt good [to pitch again]. For me, it was oner of those things, you’d like to stay away from him, but these games are important. I trusted what he said, and he did a fantastic job tonight. He’s a winner, and he’ll do whatever it takes to help us win a ballgame.”
Will Tanner Scott Take Over as the Closer for the Rest of the Year?
The Dodgers have run Diaz out as their closer when he’s been healthy, though he hasn’t lived up to expectations so far this season.
Through 16 games this season, Diaz has an 11.85 ERA after allowing 18 earned runs in 13.2 innings pitched. The All-Star right-hander missed a few months after undergoing a procedure to remove loose bodies in his elbow earlier in the year, and struggled to perform upon his return. He allowed one or more earned runs in six of his nine performances following his return, and blew three of his six save opportunities.
The Dodgers placed him on the 15-day injured list with neck inflammation on Tuesday, though he is likely to return before the end of the season after his MRI came back clean.
If he continues to underperform after his return, though, the Dodgers could very well keep him away from high-leverage spots in favor of Scott.
