On Friday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers will face off against the San Diego Padres in the second game of a four-game series at Dodger Stadium.
Most recently, the Dodgers overcame an early 6-0 deficit as they came back and won 12-7 on Thursday.
Relief pitcher Edwin Díaz was unavailable as is on the injured list.
Los Angeles Dodgers Announce Edwin Díaz News
Regarding Edwin Díaz’ status, “Dodger Talk” host David Vassegh posted on X: “Edwin Diaz threw 28 pitch bullpen session. Dave Roberts said it looked “really good”. Diaz is returning after the All-Star break. #Dodgers”
This is the second positive update regarding his status after the reliever underwent surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow on April 22.
Prior to this latest update, Díaz previously spoke with Vassegh and said, “I threw my first bullpen on Friday, it was really good, over my expectations. It was way easier than I expected doing it, so I’m really happy I’m going in the right direction, and I can’t wait to complete my rehab and be back with the team.”
Díaz added, “My first bullpen was great. I feel healthy, I keep playing catch every single day, you know, my routine. Now just keep throwing bullpens, throw a couple live and go to rehab assignment, and hopefully after the break be back.”
Additionally, manager Dave Roberts said that Díaz is expected to face live hitters on Sunday.
The three-time All-Star pitcher got off to a rocky start to his Dodgers career. In seven appearances, Díaz had a 10.50 ERA before going on the injured list. Despite the poor numbers, his injury may have played a factor in those results. Dodgers on SI’s Matt Levine wrote: “The Dodgers figured something was wrong with Diaz, even with the closer staying adamant that he was healthy. Eventually, he was shut down, and the surgery took place to repair the issue.
The velocity from Diaz’s fastball was the first sign that something was wrong earlier this season. Diaz, normally a hard-throwing reliever, saw his velocity drop to as low as 92.8 mph.” If Díaz is able to recover his previous velocity, they should expect better results from the two-time Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year. The closer signed a three-year, $69 million contract with the Dodgers this offseason.
Dodgers vs Padres
After Thursday’s win, the Dodgers were able to buck a trend of two straight series where they lost the opening game to the San Diego Padres.
After scoring 12 unanswered runs before the ninth inning, the Dodgers improved to 5-2 against the Padres.
The Dodgers are set to face off against right-handed pitcher Michael King on Friday. After struggling against King earlier this year, Los Angeles was able to get better results in their previous matchup. In King’s last start, he allowed four earned runs while pitching only 4.1 innings and taking the loss against the Dodgers.
Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani will take the mound for Los Angeles. Ohtani pitched five shutout innings in his last start against the Padres.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Los Angeles Dodgers Announce Edwin Díaz News During Padres Series appeared first on HEAVY.