Trumpets blaring.
asserted
Trumpets → blare → ?
Edwin Díaz trotting out of the bullpen to collect the final three outs of a game.
asserted
Díaz → trot → game
It’s a scene the Dodgers dreamt about all winter, after signing the star closer to a $69 million contract in December.
asserted
Dodgers → ’ → December
It’s become an all-too-rare occurrence since then, with the right-hander battling injuries and underperformance in what has been a nightmarish debut season.
asserted
what → become → injuries
Yet, last Friday night, such a moment materialized again in Díaz’s return from the injured list –– helping set the stage for a crucial final week in which the right-hander will be battling for a place on the Dodgers’ postseason roster.
asserted
hander → materialize → roster
“I gotta show them I’m part of that bullpen,” Díaz said.
asserted
Díaz → got → bullpen
“I haven’t pitched [much] this year, and when I’ve been on the mound I’ve been struggling.
asserted
I → pitch → mound
So right now I’m giving my 200% just to show them I will be in that roster spot …
asserted
I → give → spot
Just every time, when they give me the ball in any situation, I will do my job.
asserted
I → give → job
Granted, Friday’s outing wasn’t a save opportunity, with Díaz only pitching because the Dodgers held a comfortable six-run lead.
asserted
Dodgers → grant → lead
Neither was his appearance in another rout of the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, with the Dodgers continuing to ease him back in lower-leverage situations.
asserted
Dodgers → continue → situations
“I liked everything,” manager Dave Roberts said.
asserted
Roberts → like → everything
“I liked his intensity.
asserted
I → like → intensity
I liked the fastball velocity.
asserted
I → like → velocity
So it was just really good to kind of get him back in the mix.
asserted
it → get → mix
That’s something to build on.”
asserted
That → ’ → ?
Over this final week, the Dodgers will need to see more such outings.
asserted
Dodgers → need → outings
If Díaz is to make their postseason roster, he can no longer afford any bouts of regression.
asserted
he → make → regression
“I just want to keep climbing the ladder,” Díaz said, “and finish the season strong.”
asserted
Díaz → want → season
That Díaz is even in this spot is a reminder of all the ways his highly anticipated debut Dodgers season has gone wrong.
asserted
season → anticipate → ways
He stumbled through the opening month, suffering an ERA above 10.00, before being diagnosed with loose bodies in his elbow that required a surgical procedure.
asserted
that → stumble → procedure
When he returned in late July, his results still didn’t improve, with the 32-year-old giving up 11 more runs in nine more frustrating outings while continuing to battle flaws in his delivery.
asserted
old → return → delivery
Another injured list stint came in late August, when Díaz was shut down again with inflammation in his neck.
asserted
Díaz → come → neck
During that absence, he and the team tried to clean up his mechanics –– specifically identifying a drop in his arm angle as a potential root cause of his problems this year.
asserted
he → try → problems
Yet, in his first four outings of a minor-league rehab assignment, he gave up six runs (including five in one disastrous appearance on Sept. 13) and walked seven batters.
asserted
he → give → batters
As a result, just last week, Roberts openly cast doubt on Díaz’s postseason roster chances.
asserted
Roberts → cast → chances
However, Díaz went back to the drawing board one more time during his stint in triple-A.
asserted
Díaz → go → A.
This time, he sat down with the club’s Oklahoma City pitching coaches, Ryan Dennick and David Anderson, to review old video from his three-time All-Star career.
asserted
he → sit → career
That process yielded a new solution, with the trio finding that Díaz “wasn’t moving my hips the [same] way” he had in previous seasons.
Thus, Díaz made an adjustment in a bullpen session last week, looked good enough in one final rehab outing to be brought back to the majors, and at least showed some signs of promise in his back-to-back outings last weekend –– specifically by commanding his fastball better and allowing his slider to play off it deceptively.
asserted
slider → yield → it
“I’ve been able to throw strikes,” Díaz said, after striking out four batters and allowing just one hit and one walk in the two appearances.
asserted
Díaz → throw → appearances
“I think that was my problem.
asserted
that → think → ?
I wasn’t throwing my fastball for strikes.
asserted
I → throw → strikes
Now I’m able to command my fastball really good.
asserted
I → ’m → fastball
When I command my fastball, my slider plays up.
asserted
slider → command → fastball
So I feel really good right now.
asserted
I → feel → ?
More improvement will be required, of course, if Díaz is to still salvage a spot on the team’s postseason roster.
asserted
Díaz → require → roster
He has already lost the closer role.
asserted
He → lose → role
He is battling with a slew of other right-handers, such as Blake Treinen and Brock Stewart, just for a middle relief gig.
asserted
He → battle → gig
It certainly isn’t what the Dodgers expected when they signed him in what felt like a coup back in December.
asserted
what → expect → December
All they can hope for now is that, if the trumpets blare again in October, he has made enough progress to at least give them something out of the bullpen.
asserted
he → hope → bullpen
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
