Snell Closing In on Return as Díaz Loss Looms Large
Thursday, April 23, 2026 · 9 min
It was a rough Wednesday night in San Francisco — the Dodgers fell to the Giants 3-1, managing just three hits and going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a shaky first inning but settled in nicely after that, which is at least something to hold onto. The offense, though? Flatlined. Fans on r/Dodgers weren't sugarcoating it: 'We can't win if we are 0-4 with RISP. Terrible batting overall on top of uncoordinated and horrific defense tonight.' With the Padres winning, the Dodgers are now in a tie atop the NL West rather than holding a cushion — a reminder that 16-6 records don't last forever if the bats go cold. The bigger storyline looming over this road trip is the bullpen situation. Edwin Díaz is out until after the All-Star break following right elbow surgery, and now everyone's looking at Tanner Scott to shoulder the closer role again. Scott, to his credit, seems ready — he reportedly cut off the question before reporters could even finish asking it. He's already handled high-leverage work this year, so it's less a transition and more a formalization. Still, losing Díaz in any form stings. The silver lining? Blake Snell is finally close. The Dodgers have set initial goals for his rehab assignment, putting him in the final stretch before returning to the active roster. A healthy Snell sliding into the rotation would be a massive shot in the arm for a staff that's been held together with baling wire and optimism. And for the prospect watchers: Charles Davalan, the 41st overall pick acquired in the Gavin Lux trade, went deep twice at High-A this week. He's reached base in 12 of 15 games this season. Still early, but the arrow is pointing up on a kid with real tools. The front office looks smart on that one so far.
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Show notes
It was a rough Wednesday night in San Francisco — the Dodgers fell to the Giants 3-1, managing just three hits and going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a shaky first inning but settled in nicely after that, which is at least something to hold onto. The offense, though? Flatlined. Fans on r/Dodgers weren't sugarcoating it: 'We can't win if we are 0-4 with RISP. Terrible batting overall on top of uncoordinated and horrific defense tonight.' With the Padres winning, the Dodgers are now in a tie atop the NL West rather than holding a cushion — a reminder that 16-6 records don't last forever if the bats go cold. The bigger storyline looming over this road trip is the bullpen situation. Edwin Díaz is out until after the All-Star break following right elbow surgery, and now everyone's looking at Tanner Scott to shoulder the closer role again. Scott, to his credit, seems ready — he reportedly cut off the question before reporters could even finish asking it. He's already handled high-leverage work this year, so it's less a transition and more a formalization. Still, losing Díaz in any form stings. The silver lining? Blake Snell is finally close. The Dodgers have set initial goals for his rehab assignment, putting him in the final stretch before returning to the active roster. A healthy Snell sliding into the rotation would be a massive shot in the arm for a staff that's been held together with baling wire and optimism. And for the prospect watchers: Charles Davalan, the 41st overall pick acquired in the Gavin Lux trade, went deep twice at High-A this week. He's reached base in 12 of 15 games this season. Still early, but the arrow is pointing up on a kid with real tools. The front office looks smart on that one so far.
In this episode
- Dodgers set initial goals for Blake Snell's rehab assignment — Sebastian Abdón Ibarra
Dodgers set initial goals for Blake Snell's rehab assignment The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered their first major loss on the pitching staff this season with [Edwin Díaz not expected to return from right elbow surgery](https://dodgerblue.com/edwin-diaz-undergoing-surgery-expected-to-miss-3-months/2026/04/20/amp/) until some time after the All-Star break. On the other hand, Blake Snell has entered…
- Will bulk of Dodgers’ closer role fall to Tanner Scott again with Edwin Diaz out? – Orange County Register — Bill Plunkett | bplunkett@scng.com | Orange County Register
Will bulk of Dodgers’ closer role fall to Tanner Scott again with Edwin Diaz out? – Orange County Register Dodgers relief pitcher Tanner Scott throws to the plate during the fifth inning of their game against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday, March 30, 2026, at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) Getting your [Trinity Audio](https://trinityaudio.ai/) player ready... SAN…
- Draft pick acquired in Lux deal off to hot start at High-A in 2026 — Mlb
# Dodgers prospect Charles Davalan posts two-homer game Published: 2026-04-22T05:53:00+00:00 ## Summary Dodgers' No. 8 prospect, Charles Davalan, has been off to a strong start at High-A in 2026 with a multihomer game and a season-high three hits. Davalan was selected 41st overall in last year's Draft out of Arkansas and has been a consistent and steady offensive force this season. He has…
- Dodgers Lineup vs Giants: Shohei Ohtani Hitting and Pitching, Alex Freeland Out — SInow
# Dodgers Lineup vs Giants: Shohei Ohtani Hitting and Pitching, Alex Freeland Out | United States Published: 2026-04-22T22:35:00+00:00 Author: SInow ## Summary The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently tied to first place in the National League West, with the San Diego Padres joining the Dodgers with a win over the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers will face the San Francisco Giants in the second game…
Notable reactions
- Postgame Thread ⚾ Dodgers 1 @ Giants 3 — r/Dodgers (36 pts, 247 comments)
“### Line Score - Game Over | |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|R|H|E|LOB| |-|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:| |LAD|0|0|0|1|0|0|0|0|0|**1**|**3**|**1**|**8**| |SF|3|0|0|0|0|0|0|0||**3**|**6**|**0**|**5**| ### Box Score |**SF**|…”
- alex vesia has earned the right to become a free agent — r/Dodgers (730 pts, 40 comments)
“before I start, I wanna continue sending prayers to alex vesia and his wife due to the loss of their daughter back in november. LA traded for alex vesia and kyle hurt back in feb 2021, sending dylan floro to miami. alex vesia has become the team's most trusted left handed…”
- Game Chat 4/21 - Dodgers (16-6) @ Giants (9-13) 6:45 PM — r/Dodgers (31 pts, 3256 comments)
“### Dodgers (16-6) @ Giants (9-13) **First Pitch**: 6:45 PM at Oracle Park |Team|Starter|TV|Radio| |-|-|-|-| |[Dodgers](/r/dodgers)|[Yoshinobu Yamamoto](https://www.mlb.com/player/808967) (2-1, 2.10 ERA)||| |[Giants](/r/sfgiants)|[Landen…”
- Update: Dodgers lose the opener in San Francisco 🫠 — r/Dodgers (167 pts, 32 comments)
“Welp. We can’t win if we are 0-4 with RISP. Terrible batting overall on top of uncoordinated and horrific defense tonight. Yoshinobu Yamamoto did have a solid start after a bad 1st inning. Shohei Ohtani extends his on-base streak to 53. Let’s try to win the next one. ☝️”
- 4/22 Starting Lineup [DoyersDave] — r/Dodgers (367 pts, 49 comments)
“4/22 Starting Lineup [DoyersDave]”