When the Los Angeles Dodgers entered the 9th inning with a 2-1 lead over the New York Mets on Tuesday, April 14, it was Alex Vesia who emerged from the bullpen for the save opportunity, not Edwin Diaz. Manager Dave Roberts shed light on the decision to skip Diaz following the matchup.
Roberts told reporters, including Jack Harris of the California Post, that the star closer wasn’t used because he threw a bullpen prior to the game. The club wanted to see him on the mound since he hadn’t pitched since a disastrous outing on Friday, April 10, against the Texas Rangers.
The skipper added that Diaz would be reevaluated before Wednesday’s matchup against the Mets, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. The reliever is expected to be available to pitch if everything checks out, which should dampen some of the injury concerns around him. Diaz is in the first season of a three-year, $69 million contract.
Los Angeles Dodgers Hold Edwin Diaz Out After Pregame Bullpen Session
Diaz’s last outing before the lengthy stretch on the sidelines was a blown save against Texas. He was called upon to protect a three-run lead facing the bottom half of the Rangers’ lineup. Former Dodger Joc Pederson opened the inning with a leadoff single. Evan Carter followed with a two-run home run to cut the Los Angeles lead to one. Diaz recorded the next two outs, striking out Danny Jansen and coaxing a pop-up from Josh Smith. A single and a stolen base put the tying run in scoring position, and Ezekiel Duran cashed in with an RBI single.
Fortunately for Diaz and the Dodgers, Max Muncy would send the fans home happy with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th inning. It was the veteran infielder’s third long ball of the contest. It came on a 0-2 pitch from tough lefty Jacob Latz, who had already struck out Will Smith and Freddie Freeman.
The difficult performance pushed Diaz’s ERA to 6.00. He was 4-for-4 on save opportunities heading into the matchup. The righty ended up with his first win as a Dodger, since he was the pitcher of record before Muncy’s game-winning blast.
The pregame bullpen explanation would carry a bit more weight if the Dodgers actually confirmed he was healthy. Instead, fans are left to question why his velocity is down more than a mile per hour from 2025. He’s averaged a career-low 96.1 mph on the heater through six appearances.
Who Would Step in as Closer Without Diaz?
If Diaz isn’t able to bounce back from the bullpen session, the Dodgers have several former closers to consider for the role. Vesia was tremendous on Tuesday, striking out the side to secure the save, which came with added importance. L.A. has Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen in high-leverage roles. Evan Phillips and Brock Stewart should factor into the late-inning mix when healthy.
Scott is the top candidate to replace Diaz if needed. The former Miami Marlins left-hander saved 23 games for the Dodgers last season. He has a sparkling 1.17 ERA through 7.2 IP this year.
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