RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesLos Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sees more hope than cause for concern from Edwin Diaz’s second consecutive blown save.
With the Dodgers having another one-run lead, Edwin Diaz collapsed. He came in during the bottom of the ninth inning, with LA up 1-0 and needing to win a game to snap a seven-game winning streak.
He allowed two triples right off the bat, immediately giving up the lead and putting a runner on third with no outs.
The game looked over at that point, but through sheer will and some luck, Diaz got out of the jam, stranding the runner on third.
Aug 8, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edwin Diaz (3) throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the ninth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images
Diaz got a great defensive play from Max Muncy, who caught a hard-hit lineout to third base, and then he generated a pop-up to keep the speedy Corbin Caroll at bay.
Finally, Diaz got the third out of the inning to force the game into extra innings via a strikeout dotted outside the zone.
Edwin Diaz pushes it to 99 MPH for a clutch strikeout! He blew his second consecutive save, but at least he kept the Dodgers in the game. For those losing hope in Diaz, the fastball is still encouraging, but the slider is letting him down badly. He is not throwing it enough…
— Nelson Espinal (@nelson__espinal) August 9, 2026
This was Diaz’s second straight blown save. On Friday night, he gave up a walk-off two-run homer on a hanging slider.
Roberts expressed his faith in Diaz despite the blown save, but for a while, it looked like a grave mistake. Now, the manager sees some hope for his star closer.
Dave Roberts’ reason for optimism
Even though the result for the closer was the same, a blown save, Roberts saw something out of Diaz that he had never seen before.
“I think for me it was just the intensity. I think that you saw once they scored the run, man on third base, nobody out. You saw the intensity pick up, the stuff pick up, the fastball got better, the slider got better,” Roberts said.
“And even talking to him after the game, that’s how we have to be from the first pitch. But that was the first game I saw this year where he had some real intensity.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) looks at the stands prior to a game at Chase Field in Phoenix, on August 8, 2026.
Roberts could not explain the exact cause of the struggles, but he made it sound like a combination of factors led to him spiraling.
“I don’t know if it’s just kind of, you want to be perfect. You’re trying to get your feet under you. He’s been in rehab mode a lot,” Roberts added.
“But I think that this is something I think could be a springboard for the outings to come.”
While there is some reason to be hopeful, Diaz is still far from the elite closer that the Dodgers signed and need.
But if he truly does use this moment as a springboard, there is still plenty of time, another two years after this season plus the postseason, to prove himself worth his record deal.
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