LA Dodgers Grapple With Closer Edwin Díaz Amid Ongoing Struggles

The trumpet sound announcing the entry of Edwin Díaz now sounds like a funeral dirge. That was the one-line assessment from the Associated Press describing Díaz (32), the struggling closer for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers.

Díaz took the mound in the ninth inning of the game against the Milwaukee Brewers held today (August 14) at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, with his team leading 4-2.

He struck out the first batter, William Contreras, but then surrendered five hits and three runs, providing the catalyst for a 5-4 comeback loss.

With this game, the Dodgers moved to 73 wins and 49 losses (a winning percentage of 0.598).

While they still maintain first place in the National League West, leading the second-place San Diego Padres by 8 games, at this rate they are looking at having to play in the Wild Card Series (WC) even if they reach the postseason.

Among the current division leaders in the National League, the team with the highest overall winning percentage is the Milwaukee Brewers of the Central Division (75 wins, 47 losses, 0.615), followed by the Atlanta Braves of the Eastern Division in second place (73 wins, 48 losses, 0.603).

The team with the third-highest winning percentage among the division leaders must play a best-of-three Wild Card Series against one of the teams that earned their postseason berth through the wild card, instead of advancing directly to the Division Series (DS).

Manager Dave Roberts unleashed unusually emotional remarks.

When asked by reporters after the game whether Díaz would continue to serve as the closer, Roberts snapped back, Tell me if you have an alternative.

He continued to vent his frustration, saying, I cannot just say we will use him in situations with a low impact on wins and losses. We need to have an alternative, but frankly speaking, none of our bullpen pitchers are throwing the ball properly right now.

That is the reality.

Regarding a transition to a committee of closers, Roberts pointed out the overall slump of the bullpen, stating, For that to happen, the other pitchers need to get back on track first.

Díaz, who put on a Dodgers uniform this season and was sidelined for three months due to elbow surgery, returned at the end of last month.

Once reigning as the top closer in MLB, his statistics this season sit at 2 wins, 2 losses, an 11.57 ERA, and a walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) reaching 2.49.

Díaz self-reproached, saying, I know what kind of pitches I can throw on the mound, and I feel frustrated that I am not able to execute them.

Knowing that his closer role is in jeopardy, he lowered his head and said, We will have to see what decision the club makes. I want to do what is best for the team. If they hand me the ball in the ninth, I will do my job, and if they give me the ball in a different inning, I will try to do my job.

(Photo: Imagn Images, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.