DENVER -- Veteran left-hander Tanner Scott is the Dodgers’ closer of the moment, and the closer for the stretch run as the club preps for a push at a third consecutive World Series title.
“His stuff, right now, today, is as good as it’s been all year,” manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday before the finale of a three-game series against the Rockies at Coors Field. “Right now, it’s easy to say that he’s our best reliever and most consistent reliever. I certainly see him as our closer.”
However -- and this is a big however -- struggling Edwin Díaz could be available in September. In what role would have to be determined.
On Wednesday morning in Los Angeles, Díaz underwent tests to investigate what’s causing discomfort on the right side of his neck. An MRI showed no structural issues.
“It went well, and there were no findings,” Roberts said. “So that was good. The MRI was clean. That doesn’t change the fact that he has this sensation in his neck.
“They will keep working on it and give it some rest, as far as throwing a baseball. It was a best-case scenario.”
Díaz went on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday and there is no timeline for his return.
Enter Scott, who notched a four-out save in Los Angeles’ 7-6 win on Tuesday. It wasn’t a clean performance because Scott gave up a one-out double to Colorado’s Jake McCarthy and a two-out single to Willi Castro to make it a one-run game in the bottom of the ninth. But Scott never melted down.
It was Scott’s team-high 17th save (out of 19 opportunities) and he has a 2.32 ERA with a 0.93 WHIP. Over his last five outings (four innings) he’s allowed one earned run. Tuesday night, he didn’t allow Coors Field’s expansive outfield, nor the ballpark’s quirky reputation, to get into his head.
“I try not to think about anything like that,” he said. “I just treat it like a normal situation.”
Roberts was eager to see how Scott accepted the challenge.
“Man, Tanner doesn’t complain,” the skipper said. “He’s always ready, wants to pitch, wants to help his teammates, his team, and certainly, given how last year went, for him to come back and right the ship.”
Scott put together a terrific season with the Marlins and Padres in his contract year in 2024 and was rewarded with a four-year, $72 million deal with the Dodgers. He had notched 22 saves with a 1.75 ERA in ‘24, so he was the expected closer for the Dodgers last season.
But things went off the rails. He finished the 2025 season with a 4.74 ERA and 10 blown saves. His strikeout rate of 25.2% was the lowest of his career and his 4.6% home run rate was the highest.
But Roberts said Wednesday that Scott has the right stuff.
“When he’s right, his [fastball] is 96-98 [mph], and there is a really good slider in there,” he said. “I think Tanner’s superpower is that he doesn’t really let things affect his emotions.
“You could argue that he could have been the closer; should have been the closer. Nothing affects him once he steps on the field.”