Diamondbacks Walk Off Dodgers for 7th Straight Loss
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- Los Angeles Dodgers lost their season-high seventh straight game, 4-3 to the Arizona Diamondbacks, on a two-run walk-off homer by rookie Ryan Waldschmidt off closer Edwin Diaz on Friday night in Phoenix.
- Edwin Diaz surrendered Waldschmidt's homer on a hanging slider — Diaz's second career homer allowed and first walk-off — and now carries an 11.00 ERA across 11 outings this season after signing a three-year, $69 million deal in the offseason.
- The Dodgers were swept by the Red Sox and Cubs entering Friday and are 10-16 since July 5, yet still lead the NL West by 7.5 games over the Diamondbacks.
- Manager Dave Roberts declined to name a new closer, saying the rest of the bullpen "are not throwing great either," after Diaz returned from the injured list on July 29.
- The Dodgers added ace Tarik Skubal in a trade-deadline deal with the Detroit Tigers last week, and two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell is slated to return Tuesday after missing most of the season with injuries.
- The Dodgers' lineup still features Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Kyle Tucker (as stated in the source).
Why it matters: The Dodgers' seven-game skid is their longest of the season despite a 7.5-game NL West cushion and a roster that just added Tarik Skubal. Diaz's 11.00 ERA and Roberts's admission that no reliever is pitching well means the defending champions' clearest vulnerability heading into the postseason is a bullpen with no easy fix, even as the lineup remains stacked.
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