Dave Roberts isn’t blinking yet, even after another rough outing from Edwin Diaz.
The Dodgers brought Diaz in on a three-year, $69 million deal this winter hoping he’d be the final answer at the back of the bullpen. Los Angeles had its bullpen issues a year ago, but still found a way to win a second straight World Series.
Diaz was supposed to turn a weakness into a weapon. Instead, the start of his Dodgers tenure has been messy.
Through 15 appearances this season, Diaz has a 10.66 ERA and has converted seven of 11 save chances. He’s also blown three saves in the last week, which has forced the Dodgers to keep sorting through how much rope to give him.
After Diaz’s latest blown save against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, Roberts made his stance clear.
“He’s got to find his way,” Roberts said. “And he’s got to have a runway to find his way.
But then it gets to a point where - I’m not there yet, but ... I’m betting on the fact that the stuff will kind of right, and he’ll figure it out.”
Diaz’s season has been interrupted by a three-month absence after elbow surgery to remove loose bodies, but the struggles were there before the surgery, too. The Dodgers got a small sign of progress in the second game of the series against Milwaukee, when Diaz steadied himself after escaping a bases-loaded jam.
"It’s frustrating because I know my ability,” Díaz said. “I know what I can do on the mound.
To not be able to do it sucks. I’ve just got to come tomorrow and try to keep getting better.”
For now, Roberts says Diaz remains the closer. But the Dodgers are clearly keeping other doors open if this keeps going sideways.
They lived through a similar situation last year with Tanner Scott, who eventually lost the job and didn’t make the postseason roster. This season, though, Scott has flipped the script with a 2.20 ERA in 53 appearances, giving Los Angeles another possible late-inning answer if Diaz can’t settle in.
Roki Sasaki is another name in the mix. He handled the closer role in last year’s playoffs and delivered a 0.84 ERA over nine appearances with three saves. Since Los Angeles may not be able to use him as a starter in the postseason, that could create another path for him to work in the ninth inning.
Still, Roberts said the Dodgers don’t have a clear alternative right now, especially with their lead in the National League West giving them some breathing room.
“Who’s the other option?” Roberts said.
“You look back at the last week, and guys have struggled. ... Everyone’s got a role, they all have jobs to do, and they all have to do their job.
That’s it.”
That doesn’t mean the leash is unlimited. If Diaz keeps stumbling, the Dodgers won’t wait forever to make a change when the season reaches its biggest moments.
“At the end of the day, to a lot of the questions that you guys are asking, the players got to do their jobs,” Roberts said. “You can only protect them, put them in the best spots, but they have to perform. And I understand that too.”
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