Edwin Diaz’s mile-high implosion ‘a little concerning’ for Dodgers

Several factors could excuse Edwin Diaz’s performance Sunday.

Diaz was pitching for the first time in nine days. He was pitching in a renowned hitter’s paradise at Coors Field. He was pitching in a non-save situation.

Common sense might suggest this was nothing to be overly concerned about, but considering Diaz’s oversized importance to the Dodgers, the $69 million closer’s mile-high implosion sounded alarm bells.

“Today was a tough evaluation,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters in Colorado. “I mean, it really was. Because I know what it’s supposed to look like, and when it doesn’t look like that, it gets a little concerning, really.”

Diaz touched 97 mph a couple of times, but overall his fastball velocity remained down, which made Roberts wonder if something was physically wrong with him. Roberts said he would make it a point to speak to him.

Roberts added, “I gotta know more.”

Especially with Diaz failing to record a single out in the eighth inning of a 9-6 loss to the Rockies. 

As inconsistent as Roki Sasaki remains, he alone can’t sink the Dodgers. But an out-of-form Diaz could alter the trajectory of their season, which explains why Roberts found his eighth-inning cameo as disquieting as he did.

With a combination of knee problems and absence of save opportunities resulting in more than a week of inactivity for the 32-year-old Diaz, Roberts was determined to get the All-Star right-hander back on the mound. Except the pitcher he called into the game wasn’t the same pitcher the Dodgers thought they signed.

The first pitch Diaz threw was a low fastball that Willi Castro singled to right field. Diaz proceeded to walk Kyle Karros on five pitches, each of the balls a slider that missed by a wide margin.

“Obviously, he hasn’t pitched in [nine] days, so I’m certain there was some rust to that,” Roberts said.

A bunt single by Brenton Doyle loaded the bases. Against the next batter, Diaz missed with his fastball and missed with his slider to fall behind in the count, setting up an eventual two-run single by Edouard Julien.

Particularly disconcerting: The first-pitch fastball Diaz threw to Julien was clocked at just 92.8 mph.

“Just didn’t have any command and the velocity was down,” Roberts said. “Obviously not a save situation. There might have been some adrenaline — or lack thereof — that played into it.”

The Dodgers better hope that’s what happened because the alternative scenarios would be troublesome.

Diaz blew his first save in his previous appearance and complained about discomfort in his right knee. He tore a ligament celebrating a victory for Puerto Rico at the 2023 World Baseball Classic and missed the entire season recovering from an operation.

He blamed weakness in that surgically repaired knee for his diminished velocity in his previous appearance, a blown save against the Rangers on April 10. He was sidelined for a few days, after which he was asked to throw a bullpen session by the Dodgers’ training staff. He said he felt back to normal and declared himself ready to pitch in a game.

So maybe the knee is still bothering him. But what if it’s not? And what if the particular circumstances of the game — the layoff, Coors Field, the non-save situation — didn’t affect his performance, either?

That could be even worse, as it could signal that Diaz is no longer the pitcher the Dodgers believed they signed.

Investing big money on a reliever is always a gamble, but the Dodgers figured that his track record mitigated much of the risk. They once signed Kenley Jansen to an $80 million extension. If Diaz was in his class, and the Dodgers believed he was, signing him to a three-year deal was perfectly justifiable, especially before a season in which a three-peat was at stake.

Now, nine appearances into the season, Diaz is looking more like 2025 Tanner Scott than prime Jansen. Charged with three runs Sunday, Diaz’s ERA rose from 6.00 to 10.50.

Two bad games by a reliever doesn’t call for a citywide siren. Think of this more as a mobile phone alert. The Dodgers don’t have to trade for another closer or move Sasaki into the bullpen — at least not yet. But if only because of the potential ramifications, this isn’t a development they can ignore, either.