Mariners looking for right spot for Edwin Diaz’s next outing

The next step for struggling closer Edwin Diaz is an extended outing in a lower-leverage situation.

"I’d like to get him out there and let him go a couple of innings," Servais said. As a pitcher, that’s when you have a chance to work on things. You can go out there for an inning and not get into your pitches or get a feel for what you’re doing."

The Mariners pulled Diaz out of the closer’s role after he nearly squandered a three-run lead Monday in the ninth inning. Tony Zych replaced Diaz and got the final two outs in a 6-5 victory over Oakland.

"We do want to a situation for Eddie to get out there to work on a few things," Servais said, "and get him back in the right spot. As we saw last year, having an anchor at the back of the bullpen is huge.

Diaz 1-2 with seven saves and a 5.28 ERA in 16 appearances. He was 0-4 with a 2.79 ERA last season in 49 games and had 18 saves in 21 chances after becoming the closer in August.

Bob Dutton: @TNT_Mariners

This story was originally published May 17, 2017 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Mariners looking for right spot for Edwin Diaz’s next outing."