Díaz Dominates in Relief, Forcing Dodgers’ Closer Decision for NLDS

LOS ANGELES — Edwin Díaz needed just 13 pitches to make the Dodgers’ ninth-inning decision for them.

The right-hander struck out two of three Atlanta Braves batters in a perfect sixth inning Sunday, touching 101 mph while throwing 10 of 13 pitches for strikes. The outing came in a 5-3 loss that evened the National League Division Series at one game apiece, but it may have settled the most pressing question on Los Angeles’ roster: who gets the ball in the ninth inning moving forward.

“Absolutely, you could see him closing,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I could see him closing.”

The statement carries weight because it contradicts the Dodgers’ postseason approach through two games. Tanner Scott, who converted 25 of 29 save chances during the regular season while Díaz recovered from elbow surgery and a neck injury, opened the series with the ninth-inning assignment Saturday. He surrendered a leadoff single and a two-run homer to Jorge Soler. On Sunday, Roki Sasaki — last October’s unexpected closer — walked two and hit a batter before escaping a bases-loaded jam over two scoreless frames.

Díaz, by contrast, has faced 20 batters since his mid-September return. The line: one hit, one walk, 11 strikeouts. A 55% strikeout rate. The only baserunner came on a soft single.

“Arm feels good. Body feels great,” Díaz said. “I was letting the ball rip.”

The performance validates the $69 million contract the Dodgers signed him to last December, a deal that came with an explicit closer designation from president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. “To name someone the closer, you have to be one of the best,” Friedman said at the introductory press conference. “You have to be elite and dominant at what you do.”

Then came the injuries. Díaz threw just 18⅔ innings in the regular season, his velocity dipping into the mid-90s during early rehab appearances. The neck issue, diagnosed in August, shut him down for three weeks. By the time he returned Sept. 17, Scott had entrenched himself as the primary late-inning option.

Now the calculus shifts. Díaz’s career résumé — three All-Star selections, 198 saves, a 2.62 ERA across nine seasons — carries more October weight than Scott’s 2024 breakout or Sasaki’s 2023 surprise run. The Braves’ lineup presents a strategic wrinkle: left-handed stars Matt Olson and Michael Harris II could push Roberts toward Scott in the ninth, with Díaz deployed earlier against right-handed clusters. But Díaz dismissed the platoon concern.

“In playoff baseball, every inning counts,” he said. “If I come in the fifth or the ninth, it would play out the same for me. I will treat every inning as the ninth.”

That mindset earned praise from infielder Miguel Rojas, who noted the clubhouse culture that prioritizes winning over individual roles. “He knew, when he got to this team, it’s all about winning,” Rojas said. “You put the egos aside.”

The Dodgers needed that selflessness Sunday. Blake Snell lasted just 3⅔ innings. Teoscar Hernández misplayed a fly ball into a triple. Kris Bubic threw a run-scoring wild pitch. The offense went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position. Fans streamed toward the exits in the ninth inning, the stadium PA system pleading for noise that never materialized.

Yet the series shifts to Atlanta tied 1-1. Game 3 is Monday at Truist Park. Walker Buehler starts for Los Angeles. And for the first time this postseason, the Dodgers appear to have their closer.

“One step at a time,” Rojas said. “Who knows if he’s going to end up closing the last game of the year?”