Edwin Díaz Responds With Back-To-Back Scoreless Outings For Dodgers

Edwin Díaz was told he needed to pitch better to earn a place in the Dodgers’ postseason bullpen.

Through his first two appearances since returning from the injured list, he has done exactly that.

Díaz pitched scoreless innings on consecutive nights against the San Francisco Giants, striking out four of the six outs he recorded. The encouraging response gives the Dodgers something positive to evaluate following his difficult regular season and uneven minor-league rehabilitation assignment.

It also creates a difficult question with only six games remaining.

Will this small sample give the Dodgers enough confidence to place Díaz on their postseason roster?

Díaz Responds Immediately After Returning

The Dodgers activated Díaz from the 15-day injured list Friday after he missed a month because of neck inflammation.

He entered the ninth inning of Friday’s 8-2 victory over San Francisco and struck out two while completing a scoreless inning.

Díaz returned Saturday despite having pitched the previous night. Working the eighth inning of the Dodgers’ 10-4 win, he delivered another scoreless frame with two more strikeouts.

Pitching on consecutive days was an important part of the evaluation.

The Dodgers need to know whether Díaz can recover quickly enough to contribute throughout a postseason series, when relievers are frequently asked to pitch on back-to-back nights. He cleared that initial test without allowing a run in either appearance.

The Dodgers Needed To See A Response

Díaz’s postseason roster spot was uncertain before he returned.

He entered Friday with an 11.85 ERA, 19 strikeouts and 10 walks over 13⅔ Major League innings this season. He had allowed runs in nine of his 16 appearances.

His rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City created additional concerns.

Díaz allowed six runs over 4⅓ innings while issuing seven walks and recording only four strikeouts across five appearances. He threw more balls than strikes in three of those outings.

Dave Roberts made it clear that Díaz’s reputation and career accomplishments would not be enough to secure an October role.

The Dodgers needed him to throw strikes, control counts and give them a reason to trust him.

Four strikeouts over two scoreless innings represent a promising start.

They do not erase everything that happened before them.

Only Six Games Remain In The Audition

The Dodgers have six regular-season games left—three against the San Diego Padres and three against the San Francisco Giants.

Díaz is unlikely to appear in all six, especially after already pitching on consecutive nights. That potentially leaves the Dodgers with only a few more opportunities to evaluate him before postseason rosters are due.

That is not much time for a pitcher trying to overcome an 11.85 ERA and a poor rehab assignment.

The Dodgers must decide how heavily to weigh his most recent appearances against everything that preceded them. They also need to determine whether his command and swing-and-miss ability have improved enough to hold up against postseason lineups.

Two scoreless innings can begin changing the conversation.

They cannot answer every question.

Díaz Is Competing In A Crowded Bullpen Picture

Díaz is not being evaluated in isolation.

Roki Sasaki is expected to return as a reliever during the Padres series. Emmet Sheehan strengthened his postseason case by delivering 5⅓ scoreless innings with nine strikeouts Sunday. Other Dodgers relievers are also competing for a limited number of available spots.

That competition raises the standard for Díaz.

Simply avoiding runs may not be enough. The Dodgers need to see whether he can miss bats, limit walks and become someone Roberts can trust when a postseason game is still undecided.

His first two appearances were encouraging because he recorded four of his six outs by strikeout.

The next step will be showing that the performance can continue against the Padres and Giants.

Has Díaz Shown Enough?

Díaz has started his postseason audition in the best possible way.

He returned from the injured list, pitched on consecutive nights and completed two scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

That is meaningful progress after a difficult rehab assignment.

It is also an extremely small sample.

The Dodgers have six games remaining to decide whether Díaz’s recent improvement is enough to overcome the concerns created by the rest of his season.

Do two scoreless appearances give you enough confidence to put Edwin Díaz in the Dodgers’ postseason bullpen, or do you need to see more during the final six games?