The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their strong start to the season with a narrow 2-1 win over the New York Mets on Tuesday night, improving to a 13-4 record and still sitting atop the National League West.
On the other end of the matchup, the result extended New York’s losing streak to seven consecutive games.
The game featured a pitching duel featuring the Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivering 7 2/3 innings and allowing just one run, and the Mets' Nolan McLean pitching seven frames and allowing another run.
At the end of the game, the Dodgers turned to their bullpen with Blake Treinen pitching the eighth before Alex Vesia closed out the ninth for his second save of the season.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Vesia’s appearance, however, raised questions given the presence of closer Edwin Diaz, who had not pitched since Friday and who the Dodgers signed last winter to a three-year, $69 million deal.
Manager Dave Roberts addressed the decision to go with Vesia instead of Diaz while talking to reporters after the game, pointing to a rehab process Diaz needed to complete before pitching again.
“You got to go through protocol and certain channels,” Roberts said. “And (the Dodgers staff) wanted to see a bullpen (session).”
According to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya, Diaz reported discomfort in his surgically repaired right knee after his last outing, prompting the team to conduct additional evaluations over the weekend.
Despite the concern, Roberts emphasized that the issue is not considered serious within the Dodgers staff.
“Honestly, I felt it was benign from the outset,” Roberts said. “But we were going to be cautious, which we were. We didn’t go to him in the ninth tonight, but tomorrow, if he comes in after this bullpen, then he’ll be ready to go.”
The Dodgers had Díaz throw a bullpen session on Tuesday as a final step before clearing him for game use. Diaz’s availability will depend on how he responds, but the expectation is that he could return for the series finale against the Mets.
The Dodgers and the Mets will get the final game of their series going at 10:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
