Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts addressed closer Edwin Diaz going on the injured list following a run of bad performances.
Through Edwin Diaz’s struggles, Roberts has stood by his closer and kept giving him chances, including a fiery defense.
However, after allowing four hits and three runs on Monday against the Rockies, things reached a tipping point for the Dodgers, and they have placed Diaz on the injured list.
The official diagnosis is neck inflammation, though according to Roberts, Diaz will get a full scan when he gets to Los Angeles about how serious the problem is.
Roberts is confident that Diaz will be back this year, but until the team knows more, he refrained from making any strong statements about the closer’s prognosis.
Diaz felt the injury last night, according to Roberts, but it is unclear if the neck problem had been going on before then.
Dr. Robert Watkins will perform the imaging and examination.
“We’ll know more after seeing Dr. Watkins, but given where he’s at, I don’t see a situation where he’d be out for the year,” Roberts explained.
With only a little less than a month and a half left in the season, Diaz will need to hope it is truly a minor injury.
How bad was Edwin Diaz before landing on the IL?
Diaz was awful since coming back from elbow surgery in late July, posting a 15.88 ERA in the month of August.
He had three blown saves, along with two poor outings in non-save situations.
His command was off for the most part, and more importantly, his pitches were not moving or spinning enough to miss bats or the barrel.
At times, he would locate pitches ridiculously well, painting the edges of the strike zone, but even those pitches were getting punished by hitters.
Diaz said he figured out what was causing the dip in performance, citing his posture in his delivery.
Ideally, at the very least, Diaz gets the chance to take his time and correct mechanical problems. Any neck issues could help explain his delivery struggles, but it will ultimately come down to his ability to tighten things up.