PHOENIX — Edwin Diaz was signed to close games for the Dodgers. And that’s what Manager Dave Roberts is going to ask him to do.
“Yeah, I’m going to go to him,” Roberts said Saturday. “What’s the other alternative? That’s the problem.”
Diaz gave up a two-run walk-off homer to Diamondbacks rookie Ryan Waldschmidt on Friday night and has allowed runs in three of the four games he has pitched since returning from surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow.
Roberts is right – the Dodgers’ bullpen at the moment does not offer any compelling options to close out games.
Tanner Scott picked up 16 saves in Diaz’s absence. But he has allowed six hits and walked five batters (two intentionally) over his past four innings and his fastball velocity has dipped in recent outings, including a 25-pitch eighth inning Friday.
Evan Phillips returned from Tommy John surgery last month but has been inconsistent, allowing 10 hits (including four home runs) in his first nine innings back.
Alex Vesia has been the Dodgers’ most reliable reliever for most of the season but he has struggled recently, allowing five runs in his past six appearances.
Edgardo Henriquez took a step forward this season and assumed more high-leverage work. But recently – this is a theme among Dodgers relievers – he has struggled, allowing six runs on seven hits and five walks in his past six innings.
All roads point to riding it out with Diaz, Roberts said – particularly the road that leads to the postseason.
“I think I’ve always been consistent with this,” Roberts said. “If you look at how you’re going to use guys in the postseason – in my opinion – if we can’t trust Edwin Diaz in the postseason, then we’re going to have big problems. So I have to give him every opportunity to get comfortable, get back, cut his teeth, dust the rust off – whatever way you want to look at it – in that role. I have to look at it that way.”
During that process, “you can’t hide him” in the seventh inning or only in low-leverage situations, Roberts said. It’s also important that Diaz continue to feel Roberts has confidence in him as the closer.
“That’s part of my calculus,” Roberts said. “Because at the end of the day, there’s a psyche component to the closer coming in … and that player believing my manager, my team believes in me. That’s a part of it.
“That’s where people just don’t understand because you can’t quantify that. It’s not tangible. But it’s a real feeling that I don’t want to chip away at.”
CATCH PLAY
For the first time in more than two weeks, Shohei Ohtani took the field during the Dodgers’ pregame workout and played catch. It is the first time in a throwing program to get him prepared to pitch in games again.
Ohtani threw plyo balls against the bullpen wall before stepping into the outfield to play catch.
“First I need to do plyos, then go into long toss then go into a bullpen progression,” Ohtani said of the progression earlier this week. “Rather than rush the progression of this, I would rather make sure we’re headed in the right direction. But making sure we’re taking the right steps.”
The Dodgers have offered no timetable for when Ohtani might begin pitching in games again. He has not pitched since July 3 and hasn’t thrown off a mound since July 22 when he threw a bullpen session in Philadelphia and experienced renewed discomfort in his knee afterward.
“I talked to (pitching coach) Mark (Prior), talked to (head athletic trainer) Thomas (Albert). They said that he came out of it well,” Roberts said. “I don’t know (what’s next). It’s sort of Shohei and the training staff driving it, more Shohei. So I don’t know if he’s gonna come back out there tomorrow and pick up a baseball, or if it’s gonna be Monday, but I do think that him getting out there and playing catch is a step in the right direction.”
BAD BASERUNNING
Ohtani was thrown out trying to steal second base in the third inning on Friday night. It was the fifth out Ohtani has run into on the bases in a 15-game stretch. Roberts bemoaned poor baserunning by the Dodgers in general recently but he would not criticize Ohtani specifically.
“In a vacuum … I would rather him play it more safely,” Roberts said. “He’s on his own to run, as are all of my players. I think it’s a good sign in the sense that he feels that he can be a little bit more active, but I would rather him err on the side of caution.”
Ohtani’s knee issues could be turning some of his baserunning decisions into outs, but Roberts said he doesn’t think Ohtani is trying to prove his knee isn’t a hindrance by taking those chances.
“No, I don’t think he’s trying to make a point,” he said. “I think he really feels that he’s doing what he can to help us win. I think certain times, he might be overaggressive, But he’s doing it with the idea of ‘How can I help our team to win?’”
SURGERY LIKELY
Right-hander Will Klein went on the injured list last week with elbow discomfort. A source confirmed that an MRI revealed bone spurs in the joint and Klein is likely to undergo season-ending surgery.
Because the issue is bone spurs, not chips or loose bodies, Klein is not a candidate for the ‘NanoNeedle’ procedure that would shorten his recovery time.
Klein had a 3.67 ERA in 36 appearances with the Dodgers this season.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (LHP Justin Wrobleski, 11-3, 3.31 ERA) at Diamondbacks (LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, 10-4, 2.71 ERA), Sunday, 1:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM