Edwin Diaz is running into the same kind of trouble that can sink a power arm in a hurry: the stuff is there, but the delivery isn’t cooperating.
Since returning from elbow surgery, the Dodgers closer has given up eight earned runs and 18 baserunners in 6 2/3 innings, and the issue appears to be command. Diaz himself pointed to a possible “posture” problem, and the mechanics back that up.
Early in the season, he finished more toward home plate, with a lower head and flatter back. After coming off the IL, he’s coming out of his delivery earlier, and his hand is finishing lower too.
In March, that hand stayed above the waist as it decelerated across his body. Now it’s dropping toward his lower left hip.
That matters because Diaz needs his fastball playing at the top of the zone. Right now, he isn’t getting the pitch to the top rail the way he was before the injury, and the heat maps show the difference clearly. The fastball needs more height, and it needs more velocity, if it’s going to work the way it’s supposed to.
While Diaz is searching for his form, the Phillies may have found something with Andrew Painter. When Philadelphia sent him to the minors in June, he looked lost and carried a 7.06 ERA. Three starts after coming back, he looks like a different pitcher entirely.
Painter is 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA in those three outings, and the numbers behind the turnaround are just as striking. His batting average against has fallen from .316 before the demotion to .151 since, and his slugging against has dropped from .526 to .245.
The Phillies didn’t just leave him alone and hope for the best. They adjusted his mechanics with a slightly lower arm slot, which has helped him repeat his delivery, and they pared back his pitch mix.
Painter used to be a six-pitch pitcher who didn’t really master any of them. Now he’s mostly a four-pitch arm, leaning more on his sweeper and less on his slider and sinker.
The biggest change is the one that seems to be paying off most. Painter essentially ditched his splitter and curveball and replaced them with a changeup.
In his first three starts with the pitch, he threw 55 changeups and didn’t allow a hit. The new pitch has quickly become his best one.
It’s also giving him more deception. His release points are clustered more tightly now, and they’re a bit lower overall.
Before the demotion, his curveball and splitter didn’t come out from the same height as his four-seamer. Now the changeup is much closer to the four-seamer, which makes everything look more alike out of his hand.
That’s the goal, and Zack Wheeler is held up as one of the best examples of doing it right.
Thursday’s schedule also puts James Wood in the spotlight when the Washington Nationals visit the Texas Rangers at 8 PM on FS1.
Wood has been an outlier all season, and not just because of his age. At 23, he is on pace for 130 runs to go with 30-plus home runs, a combination reached by only Mel Ott in 1929, Joe DiMaggio in 1937, Ted Williams in 1939, 1941 and 1942, Joe DiMaggio, Alex Rodriguez in 1996 and Albert Pujols in 2003 at such a young age.
The strikeouts are part of the package too. Wood has the fourth most strikeouts through 350 games, yet he still produces at a level that brings Aaron Judge to mind.
In Other News...
Dodgers Suddenly Have A Catching Concern After Midgame Exit
The Dodgers spent the trade deadline trying to fortify their catching depth by bringing in Hunter Feduccia and Ben Rortvedt, a move meant to give Dave Roberts more flexibility behind the plate. But during the game at Coors Field, Feduccias night ended abruptly in the seventh inning after he appeared to become ill, forcing the club to turn to another option at catcher.
Roberts is expected to update Feduccias condition after the game, and the timing is what makes this worth watching for Los Angeles. The Dodgers had added both catchers to smooth out a position that can get tested quickly over a long season, so any health concern there immediately puts the focus back on the depth they just spent July trying to build. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Are Giving Roki Sasaki An Unusual Edge In Denver
The Dodgers headed to Denver without Roki Sasaki, even though the right-hander is still lined up to start the series finale at Coors Field. It is a small but notable wrinkle for a team that has learned to manage every edge it can find, especially in a ballpark where altitude can change the feel of a game fast.
Dave Roberts said the clubs medical staff prefers players spend as little time as possible at high altitude, and Sasaki will not arrive until two days after the team does. The idea is to limit the effects of Denvers environment and give him the best possible setup for his start, a reminder that sometimes the preparation for a game begins well before a pitcher ever throws a pitch. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Depth Picture Shifted Fast After A Loud Triple A Night
A busy night across the Dodgers farm system turned into one of those little depth-chart reminders that tend to matter later, when injuries, innings limits and roster churn start forcing decisions. James Tibbs III and Josue De Paula each made noise in the way prospects are supposed to, while Landon Knack gave Triple-A Oklahoma City a steady six-inning outing that kept the level from feeling one-sided. Add in home runs scattered across several affiliates, and it was the kind of scoreboard watch that makes the organization feel deeper than it did 24 hours earlier.
The timing mattered, too, because the Dodgers were already moving pieces around the board. Emmet Sheehan was back with the big club, Charlie Barnes and Blake Treinen were sent to Oklahoma City, and Chris Newell was activated in Double-A. For a team that leans on breadth as much as star power, nights like this can subtly reshape who is next in line, even if the most important name in the whole picture is still the one left hanging for the next turn on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]