After Edwin Diaz blew his third save in four games on Thursday, questions arose about manager Dave Roberts’ decision to have him continue as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ closer. Roberts told them flatly that Diaz is their primary closer and that he is not going anywhere soon. True to his word, Roberts sent Diaz to close out Friday’s game, a night after he exited the field to loud boos. This time, he came out on top of his struggles, protecting the 3-1 lead. Following his successful outing, Diaz expressed his satisfaction.
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“It means a lot to me,” Edwin Diaz said, per SportsNet on X. “I’ve been in a tough stretch, but I keep working hard trying to make pitches, and today it wasn’t easy, but I got the job done. So I’m really happy.”
Dave Roberts took a risk when he sent Edwin Diaz to close out Friday’s game against the Brewers after he blew it the day before. However, it turned out to be the right decision, as Diaz recorded the seventh save of the season. The Dodgers improved to 74-49, and the win has placed the team behind the NL toppers, the Brewers.
On Friday, Diaz was tasked with protecting a 3-1 lead in the ninth inning. His outing started with a full-count hit-by-pitch to Andrew Vaughn. Running for Vaughn, Ji-Hwan Bae stole second.
What appeared to be another disastrous outing in the making was stopped by encouraging words from a teammate, Kike Hernandez, and Diaz’s belief in himself.
“He told me, ‘You’re the best pitcher in the world. We’ve got you, we’ve got your back. Make pitches, go slowly,'” Díaz recounted to MLB.com. “He’s a veteran player. He knows a lot about the game. And just listened to him and tried to do my job.”
Pitching in the top of the ninth, Diaz had an equally shaky outing on Friday. He struck out Christian Yelich and walked William Contreras, putting runners on. However, Diaz’s teammates were right behind him, as Tommy Edman made a clutch play and grounded out Luis Lara at second.
But the game was still at stake as Diaz loaded the bases and walked David Hamilton. He ultimately stranded the bases with a final groundout, ending the inning.
As the Dodgers won 3-1, Diaz can finally take a breath of relief, especially after his rough outing on Thursday. In his last outing, Diaz blew the Dodgers’ lead after surrendering three runs in 0.2 innings. It was a disaster, and he blamed his fastball command for it. The closer won’t be in action for the next few days as he recovers from back-to-back days of throwing.