The Los Angeles Dodgers have a closer problem right now as Edwin Díaz's struggles continue.
Díaz blew another save against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night, and Dave Roberts noted postgame that Díaz would remain the ninth-inning man.
"Give me another option," Roberts said after the game, per The Athletic's Katie Woo. "I have to have other options, and to be quite honest, none of those guys have really thrown the baseball great (lately)."
The Dodgers gave Díaz a ton of money in the offseason and were expecting a superstar closer. It's similar to what happened with Tanner Scott. Scott has been good this year, and perhaps Díaz can figure things out soon.
The regular season is important, and the Dodgers cannot afford to keep letting their bullpen blow games. However, the team is in pursuit of a three-peat, and for that, October baseball matters more. The reality is that when the postseason rolls around, the closer role will not be an issue.
By the time the postseason starts, one of two things can happen. Either Díaz will figure things out or the Dodgers can deploy Roki Sasaki in the ninth inning. If Díaz returns to his All-Star form, the Dodgers are in a great spot. However, Sasaki will likely be able to close games if Díaz is not right.
The Dodgers have Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani as options to start games. Despite how good he has been as of late, there is a real chance he does not crack the postseason rotation. If that is the case, then he would seemingly be in line for a leverage role out of the bullpen.
He was great out of the bullpen last postseason, and has been even better overall this year. Ultimately, the Dodgers are not going to have the same bullpen issues they are having right now in the games that matter most.