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The Dodgers’ skid just got worse. Ryan Waldschmidt launched a two-run, walk-off home run off closer Edwin Díaz in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Diamondbacks a 4-3 win on Thursday night, per the LA Times staff. That’s seven straight losses now — the longest losing streak of the 2026 season and one that’s starting to feel less like a rough patch and more like a genuine problem.

Díaz has been in this spot before. The right-hander came over with a reputation as one of the most electric closers in baseball, built on that dominant 2022 season with the Mets where he posted a 1.31 ERA with 32 saves and racked up 118 strikeouts in 62 innings. The Dodgers brought him in specifically for moments like these — protecting one-run leads in the ninth. But a walk-off homer surrendered in a game like this, during a streak like this, raises real questions about whether he’s locked in right now. Blown saves happen to every closer. The timing of this one just stings more than most.

Waldschmidt has been a name to watch in Arizona’s lineup. The Diamondbacks have been competitive in the NL West all season, and moments like this — a young hitter squaring up a big-league closer in a high-leverage spot — are exactly why they’re dangerous. He didn’t chase. He got a pitch he could drive and didn’t miss it. Credit where it’s due.

The Dodgers held a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, which makes this one harder to swallow. This team has dealt with plenty of adversity in recent seasons and generally responds well, but seven consecutive losses tests the patience of even the most level-headed clubhouse. When you’re losing games you’re leading late, it compounds the frustration. It’s not just that they’re losing — it’s how they’re losing.

I think the bigger concern here isn’t any single game. It’s the accumulation. We talked about the streak hitting six, and now it’s seven. The pitching staff is navigating injuries and workload questions. The lineup has had its own challenges. And now the closer is giving up walk-off homers in games we had in hand. None of these issues exist in isolation — they feed each other. A team that can’t hold late leads puts more pressure on a lineup that’s already pressing, which puts more pressure on a pitching staff that’s already stretched.

For the Dodgers, this road trip through Arizona needed to be a reset. Instead, it’s been more of the same. The NL West race isn’t going to wait for this team to figure things out, and the Diamondbacks — the team that just beat us on a walk-off — are one of the clubs that could make us pay for an extended slump. We need this thing to turn around, and soon. Seven straight is enough.

Source(s): Staff (LA Times) | First reported: August 8, 2026 5:00 AM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers