Edwin Diaz is pitching like the Dodgers expected when they brought him in on a $69 million deal, but that still hasn’t locked him into the ninth inning.
Los Angeles turned to Diaz in the closing frame of its 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS, a sign of growing trust after his recent surge since returning from the injured list. He hadn’t allowed a run in any of his six outings after coming back from the IL before Tuesday night, and he extended that run by stranding a runner on third after a leadoff double without giving up a score.
Even with Diaz rolling, Dave Roberts isn’t ready to hand down a permanent label.
“I think so, seeing where the game goes," Roberts said. "There’s no downside in that, knowing I trust him there. I trust Tanner [Scott], I trust Evan [Phillips], I don’t want to be beholden to one thing.”
That’s the part of the equation that keeps this from being a simple handoff. The Dodgers have other late-inning answers, and both Scott and Phillips have already proven they can handle the job.
Scott stepped in for Diaz for most of the 2026 season while Diaz was dealing with injuries and finished this season with a career-high 25 saves. Phillips, meanwhile, missed most of the last two years because of injury but still piled up 42 saves for Los Angeles in 2023 and 2024.
So Roberts has options, and he’s acting like it.
Diaz’s path to this point has been anything but smooth. His first season with the Dodgers opened with promise, as he posted a 1.80 ERA over his first five appearances. Then came the blowups: three runs allowed in an inning against the Texas Rangers, followed by three more against the Colorado Rockies without recording an out.
That stretch sent him to the injured list with loose bodies in his elbow, and he didn’t record for several months. He came back in July after elbow surgery, but the results still didn’t match the expectations that came with the contract. In nine appearances covering 7.2 innings, Diaz gave up 11 earned runs and blew three of six save chances before landing back on the injured list in mid-August with neck inflammation.
Now, though, he’s back in form and making his case one outing at a time. Game 4 of the NLDS comes Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. PT, and Diaz could get another chance to keep building his argument for the closer role.
In Other News...
Dodgers Still Have One Huge Shohei Ohtani Problem In October
Shohei Ohtanis October start with the Dodgers has not looked much like the middle of a postseason centerpiece. He has struggled at the plate in recent months, and the National League Division Series against the Braves offered more of the same, with Ohtani hitting .154 and driving in no runs. Even so, the Dodgers advanced to the National League Championship Series, which has bought them time to keep believing the offense from one of baseballs biggest stars will eventually show up when it matters most.
Dave Roberts and Andrew Friedman have both acknowledged the slump, but neither has sounded alarmed about where this could go from here. Their confidence is rooted in Ohtanis track record and the expectation that the bat will come around later in the postseason, which leaves the Dodgers in a familiar October spot: good enough to keep moving, but still waiting on the one player who can change the tone of the lineup in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Fans Have A New October Debate After Beating Atlanta
The Dodgers NLDS win over Atlanta gave fans plenty to dissect, and the conversation quickly turned to who stood out most in October. In a postseason series that featured multiple big performances, Los Angeles supporters weighed a dominant outing from Yoshinobu Yamamoto against the kind of all-around impact that Max Muncy brought with his power at the plate and his work in the field.
Yamamoto emerged as the fan favorite in a poll for NLDS MVP, with Muncy and Freddie Freeman also drawing support. The results say plenty about how Dodgers fans viewed the series: one camp leaned into the significance of Yamamotos Game 3 brilliance, while another saw Muncys three home runs and defensive value as just as central to the advance, setting up a familiar October debate as the club moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Finally Know When Their Brewers Showdown Will Begin
Major League Baseball has set the stage for the 2024 League Championship Series, giving the Dodgers a date and a destination for the next step in October. The National League Championship Series opens Sunday, Oct. 11, and the American League Championship Series follows on Monday, Oct. 12, with the league also laying out the rest of the potential schedule and the broadcast homes for both rounds.
For the Dodgers, the new calendar means the wait is nearly over as they prepare for a trip to Milwaukee and a Brewers team that earned home-field advantage with a huge regular season. The full rhythm of the series is now in place, including possible game dates stretching deeper into the week, but the real answer fans care about is still ahead: how this matchup unfolds once the first pitch arrives. [Read more 🡒]