The Dodgers have won well over 400 games since May 17, 2022 -- the most in MLB by a comfortable margin -- but they just accomplished something that they haven't done since that date four years ago.
They won three consecutive games by exactly one run.
L.A. swept the Rays this week, beating the American League powerhouse with scores of 4-3, 1-0 and 5-4. And they did it all without their All-Star closer, Edwin Díaz.
Díaz -- whose three-year, $69 million deal with the Dodgers this past offseason made him the highest-paid reliever (by AAV) in MLB history -- has been sidelined since late April with loose bodies in his right elbow.
Díaz was coming off a 28-save campaign with the Mets in 2025, during which he posted a 1.63 ERA across 62 appearances. It was his fourth season with a sub-2.00 ERA. The Dodgers entered last offseason with closer at the top of their wish list, and they got one of the best in baseball.
But the 32-year-old struggled out of the gate, to the tune of a 10.50 ERA in only six innings before he underwent surgery. His velocity was noticeably down -- an issue he said the surgery should solve.
So how have the Dodgers' relievers fared without their ninth-inning ace? The short answer: They've been fine, but not elite.
Overall, L.A. owns a 3.72 bullpen ERA, good for 12th best in MLB. It’s a little worse in the ninth inning specifically, at 3.88. Not terrible -- but nothing close to San Diego’s 0.95 clip.
The club has a 2.97 ERA with a 70.4% conversion rate in save situations, the latter of which is eighth in MLB. And its eight blown saves are also tied for eighth-fewest by a team this season. Not horrible, but not exactly October-worthy, either.
But if this week is any indication, they’ve been managing just fine without Díaz.
One key has been Tanner Scott, who was brought in as a prized offseason acquisition in 2025 but was unreliable in the closer role. He posted a 4.74 ERA with an MLB-worst 10 blown saves.
This season, Scott seems to have returned to his pre-2025 excellence. He owns a 2.32 ERA through 33 games and earned saves in the first two of the Dodgers’ wins over the Rays. He needed only 24 pitches between the two one-inning outings, striking out three without allowing a baserunner.
Alex Vesia -- who himself has a 2.59 ERA in 33 outings -- closed out the series finale, working around three walks to earn his third save of the season.
The Dodgers’ pen was lights-out all series, allowing only three hits across nine scoreless innings with eight punchouts.
And not only were they executing, but they were doing it quickly, too. Their 1-0 win on Tuesday took only one hour and 52 minutes, the Dodgers' shortest nine-inning game since Oct. 4, 1992, in Houston (1:44), and the shortest at Dodger Stadium since April 29, 1982 (also 1:52).
"Not only obviously myself, but I think everybody that came out of the bullpen filled the zone and did a great job," said Justin Wrobleski, who pitched six scoreless innings in the win. “Under two hours is pretty cool …”
Still, the Dodgers will be glad to get Díaz back, which will likely be after the All-Star break.
Manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Díaz was “coming along really well” and was scheduled to throw a bullpen session this week. His return will presumably allow Scott to shift back to his eighth-inning role, while he and Vesia are typically available to close out games as needed.
The Dodgers are also anticipating the returns of Evan Phillips and Brock Stewart, who each pitched in Minor League rehab games on Thursday. Phillips tossed a scoreless inning with Triple-A Oklahoma City, while Stewart did the same with Single-A Ontario. Phillips has 45 saves with the Dodgers since 2021.
Last time the Dodgers won three straight one-run games, they got two saves from likely Hall of Fame closer Craig Kimbrel, who saved 22 games in his one-season cameo with L.A.
This week, the Dodgers relied on Scott, Vesia, Kyle Hurt and Will Klein (2.12 ERA in 25 games) to hold down the fort and beat a possible future postseason foe.
Next time they do it, they’re hoping to hear the trumpets blare as Díaz enters to close things out in the ninth.