Dave Roberts met with reporters following the Los Angeles Dodgers walk-off defeat, acknowledging that any loss stings but that being walked off carries an extra edge. He noted the team did not play a clean or complete game on either side of the baseball, though it had done enough to put itself in position to win before ultimately failing to close it out.
Much of the discussion centered on Edwin Diaz's final at-bat of the night. Roberts agreed with the assessment that the fastball had good life and command, but the slider simply was not having much effect. He pointed to a pitch left up that was hit for a home run, explaining that Edwin Diaz has not yet found the feel for that pitch since returning, even as his fastball command continues to improve.
Asked how concerning the shakiness with that pitch has been, Roberts said it is difficult to watch someone work through it, especially in high-leverage innings when that slider is essentially the only reliable secondary weapon. He emphasized that Edwin Diaz is putting in the work to sort things out and will not shy away from the challenge, adding that with him healthy, the process now is about pitching through it and finding his way back.
On the question of continuing to use Edwin Diaz in the closer role, Roberts explained that decisions have varied by game, with some outings representing true save situations and others simply about getting him work during blowout leads. He added that other options in the bullpen have not been especially sharp either, so the plan remains to keep pitchers in the roles they have earned while trying to get the group back on the kind of run it had several weeks ago, noting there is no clear alternative at the moment.
Roberts also reviewed Tanner Scott's outing, crediting him for battling through trouble despite reduced velocity, working around a leadoff double to Gabriel Moreno and a decision to put Ildemaro Vargas on base rather than let a dangerous left-handed bat beat the team. On the lineup's struggles against Merrill Kelly through the first several innings, Roberts admitted he did not have a clear explanation, saying the offense simply went quiet and could not put together hard-hit balls, aside from a robbed home run on a ball off the bat of Tommy Edman. He also praised Roki Sasaki for working through six solid innings even without his best split-finger command, and addressed a non-review of a stolen base attempt and a base-running decision, calling the latter a reasonable calculated risk that narrowly did not pay off.