Edwin Díaz is starting to look like himself again, and the Dodgers are hoping that means a late-season lift from a pitcher who hasn’t quite matched expectations in his first year in Los Angeles.
After coming off the 15-day injured list over the weekend, the right-hander has worked two scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants. In that stretch, he has allowed only two baserunners and struck out four, a cleaner run than what he’d been showing earlier in the season.
“Yeah, 100%,” Díaz said when asked if he feels as good as he has all season. “I’ve been able to throw strikes.
That was my problem and concern. I wasn’t throwing my fastball for strike.
Now I’m able to command my fastball pretty good. When I command my fastball, my slider plays up.
So I feel really good right now.”
That rebound comes after a rocky rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City that drew some criticism from manager Dave Roberts. Díaz, a three-time All-Star, allowed five runs in his second-to-last outing there and was told he needed to be better.
Instead of letting that linger, he went back to work with Comets pitching coaches Ryan Dennick and David Anderson and responded with a scoreless outing. Díaz said the adjustments helped him get back to where he wants to be, especially with his fastball command.
“I think my mechanics are better,” Díaz said. “After my rough game in Triple-A, I sat down with the Triple-A pitching coach to see what was the problem. We found I wasn’t moving my hips the right way, so we started working on that.
He also said the slider is once again acting like the pitch that made him such a dangerous reliever in the first place.
“Yeah, right now it’s really good,” Díaz said. “It’s going down and away. I’ve been able to throw my fastball glove side, and if I throw my fastball glove side, [the slider] will play up in the same path.”
The Dodgers have also handled his return carefully. Before he came back, Roberts made it clear Díaz would not be sliding right back into the closer role. Both of his outings against the Giants came in low-leverage spots, and Díaz said he’s been fine with that setup.
“Yeah, yeah. I have an open mind.
I’m in the situation right now where I need to help this team to win,” Díaz explained. “Whenever Doc puts me in the game, in any situation, I will do my job.
And I feel good. I just want to keep climbing the ladder and finish the season strong.”
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