Dodgers' losing streak reaches seven after Díaz gives up walk-off to Waldschmidt

PHOENIX — The Dodgers were three outs away from finally ending the skid.

They had fought back from a two-run deficit. Andy Pages had given them the lead with a towering home run in the eighth inning. Roki Sasaki had done his part with another encouraging start.

For the first time in nearly a week, the Dodgers looked as though they were going to walk out of the ballpark with something other than another loss.

Instead, they walked off the field stunned.

Ryan Waldschmidt hit a two-run, walk-off home run off Edwin Díaz in the bottom of the ninth inning, sending the Diamondbacks to a 4-3 victory Friday night and extending the Dodgers' losing streak to seven games.

Díaz walked the leadoff hitter in the inning before Waldschmidt got a slider he could handle.

He did not miss.

The ball sailed out, and the Dodgers' latest attempt to stop the bleeding ended in the most devastating fashion possible.

Waldschmidt entered the night with only one home run all season.

His second gave Arizona the win.

The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, moved to within 7½ games of the Dodgers in the NL West.

For the Dodgers, it was another painful night in a week that has gone completely sideways.

The Dodgers' offense had almost nothing going for it early against Merrill Kelly, who was dominant through the first five innings.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Aug 7, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field.

Kelly entered the game 0-11 with a 5.56 ERA in 17 career starts against the Dodgers, but none of that history mattered Friday. He held the Dodgers hitless through five innings while allowing only two walks.

Then Tommy Edman finally broke through.

Edman led off the sixth inning with an infield single, giving the Dodgers their first hit of the night and starting a rally. Kelly quickly lost the strike zone. He walked back-to-back batters to load the bases with one out, and Freddie Freeman followed by grounding into a force play.

But Freeman's hustle made the difference.

With a run at stake and the Dodgers desperate to get on the board, Freeman beat out the throw to avoid the double play and allow the Dodgers' first run to score.

The Dodgers still trailed 2-1. Kelly then exited the game after appearing to injure himself following Freeman's ground ball.

Three hits in the seventh inning tied the game, with Edman delivering an RBI single to make it 2-2. Edman had already been robbed of a home run earlier in the game, but he continued to find ways to impact the game. He finished with two hits and the tying RBI.

Then Pages gave the Dodgers their first lead.

On the first pitch he saw in the eighth inning, Pages crushed a ball 425 feet to center field for his 19th home run of the season.

The Dodgers led 3-2.

After six consecutive losses, they were three outs away from finally putting one in the win column. And then came the ninth.

Díaz, who has not looked particularly sharp since returning from the injured list, issued a walk and put the Dodgers in immediate danger.

Waldschmidt stepped in.

One pitch later, the game was over.

The Dodgers had lost seven straight.

It overshadowed another solid outing from Sasaki, who continued to show signs of becoming the pitcher the Dodgers envisioned when they signed him.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Aug 7, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

Sasaki allowed four hits and two runs over six innings, walking one and striking out five on 86 pitches.

Even without his best stuff, Sasaki limited hard contact and consistently found ways to get outs. His sixth inning was particularly strong, allowing him to finish his night on a positive note.

But the Dodgers needed more than a good start Friday. They needed to close. They couldn't.

And now the losing streak that began as a six-game skid has reached seven games.

The Dodgers will turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday evening at Chase Field, hoping he can finally give them the one thing they haven't had in a week: A win.