Dave Roberts' exasperated response to another Edwin Díaz blowup ignores crucial Dodgers reliever

When Edwin Díaz walked off the mound at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night, he was met by a chorus of boos from the Los Angeles Dodgers' faithful.

He had just given up three runs in the top of the ninth to the Milwaukee Brewers, ceding a 4-2 Dodgers lead, and ruined a game fans would have much preferred to remember as the one where Max Muncy passed Eric Karros on the Dodgers' all-time home run leaderboard.

It brought Díaz's season ERA up to 11.57 and did away with any hope that his hitless inning against the Kansas City Royals on Monday was the start of a bounce back.

Unsurprisingly, Dave Roberts was asked about Díaz's status as LA's closer. His answer was exasperated. "Give me another option," he challenged reporters in his postgame interview. "I have to have other options, and to be quite honest, none of those guys have really thrown the baseball great (lately)."

Roberts is probably tired of being asked about Díaz; a player the Dodgers are paying $26 million this season. But he forgot about an obvious solution in his answer. Tanner Scott is right there.

Tanner Scott should become Dodgers' de facto closer after yet another Edwin Díaz meltdown

Scott appeared in Thursday's game during the top of the eighth, but he only faced one batter to close out the inning before Roberts turned to Díaz in the ninth. It's a decision that hasn't gone over well with Dodgers fans, given that Scott hadn't pitched in three days and has yet to give up a run in August.

Roberts can't publicly announce that the Dodgers are taking Díaz out of the closer role, not after they gave him a three-year, $69 million contract and broke from a longstanding tradition of not naming an official closer. Even last year, Scott's first on a four-year, $72 million deal, LA still hesitated to give him the title.

The Dodgers saddled themselves with Díaz and made him their name-brand closer, and it's unlikely that's going to change anytime soon. If we start seeing Scott in the ninth innings of close games more often from here on out, he'll be a closer in practicality alone. It's unfair, given Scott's body of work this season versus Díaz's, but Roberts isn't quick to denounce his players and can't start with their "superstar" closer.

That doesn't mean that, despite what Roberts said, they don't have other options. They can and should be calling on Scott from here on out.

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