Edwin Díaz (elbow) could return this week vs. Mets

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called upon Díaz in a save situation for the second time this postseason, this time to protect a three-run lead against the bottom of Atlanta’s order with a chance to end the best-of-five series. He punched out pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez on an impressive 99.1 mph fastball and got Mauricio Dubón to fly out to right field before coaxing a series-ending fly ball from Austin Riley to send Los Angeles back to the NLCS to face either the Brewers or Padres later this week. It’s a massive development for the Dodgers that Díaz looks like his former self again after an abysmal, injury-plagued regular season.

It was encouraging to see Scott rebound with a pair of strikeouts in a shutout frame after a tough outing in the series opener over the weekend where he served up a two-run homer to Ozzie Albies. It didn’t end up costing Los Angeles, but it was an auspicious start to the postseason for one of the club’s key high-leverage arms. He recorded two quick outs before working out a two-out walk to Ronald Acuña Jr. by striking out slugger Matt Olson to escape with the lead intact.

It was fairly stunning to see Dodgers manager Dave Roberts turn to Díaz in a massive spot, asking him to preserve a two-run lead on the road at Trust Park, following an injury-plagued and ineffective regular season. He immediately served up a leadoff double to Ozzie Albies, which brought the potential game-tying run to the plate. He managed to settle down and retire both Michael Harris II and Mauricio Dubón before getting pinch-hitter Mike Yastrzemski to ground out, thanks to a brilliant defensive play by shortstop Mookie Betts. It’s fair to assume that Díaz will continue to receive opportunities to close as the Dodgers continue their postseason run. This was his first save since August 14.

Scott’s save was his 25th of the season. After he struggled last season, the Dodgers brought in Edwin Diaz in free agency. With Diaz struggling to stay healthy this year, Scott has saved 25 games, giving him 48 saves since joining Los Angeles two years ago.

Scott struck out a pair after Roki Sasaki threw a scoreless inning of relief in the eighth. The 32-year-old has saved 24 games, and his ERA dips to 2.73.

This was probably Díaz’s best showing yet. He matched his season high from last week by averaging 97.6 mph with his fastball. He’s at 97.3 mph in four appearances since coming off the IL, which is one mph better than he averaged previously this year.

Scott blew his previous save chance Monday against the Marlins, but this is his third scoreless inning since. He has a 2.77 ERA in 61 2/3 innings.

Expectations are low for Díaz at the moment, but he was sharp tonight in throwing 12 of his 17 pitches for strikes while pitching with a six-run lead. He averaged 97.6 mph with his fastball, with his 1.3 mph better than his season norm, and he lowered his ERA from 11.85 to 11.05.

As anticipated, Díaz returns to the Dodgers’ bullpen for Friday night’s battle against the Giants. The expectation is that the Dodgers will ease him back into high-leverage situations, so fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him to be a viable option for saves over the final 10 days of the regular season. Landon Knack was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move on Friday.

Díaz was placed on the injured list on August 18th with neck inflammation. His minor league rehab assignment has been a mixed bag, with a couple of poor outings last week and then a scoreless inning on Wednesday night. The Dodgers want the 32-year-old to get MLB innings before the postseason begins, but he will have to pitch his way back into the ninth-inning role, which means Tanner Scott will remain the closer for the time being.