After losing two games in a row, the Dodgers escaped with just enough to prevent a sweep. Entering in the eighth inning after Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s seven-inning, nine-strikeout gem, the Dodgers’ $72 million star gave up two singles. Then he allowed a game-tying three-run home run by the Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll. As Tanner Scott trudged off the mound, he was rained down with boos, per Michael J. Duarte of NBC LA.

After Sunday, Scott’s ERA ballooned to an ugly 4.44 across 50 relief outings this season. He only recently returned after missing more than a month with an elbow injury.

Back in July, Dave Roberts revealed that Scott had felt a ‘sting’ in his forearm. He also added that Scott was ’emotionally not well’ too. However, he didn’t offer enough clarity on that. Still, this time, despite Scott’s costly errors, the Dodgers managed to notch a 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Thanks to Will Smith’s walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning. Yet, after the game, Roberts did address what is causing Tanner Scott to struggle. “I just think if you look at kind of the spray chart, everything is middle middle and he’s not walking guys, but you know you get good hitters right-handed or left-handed; if they lock in on a certain area, they’re going to have more success. So, stuff is really good but I do think that when you’re consistently throwing to the same zone, that’s the predictability part of it.” He said.

Apparently, Scott has managed to record 20 total saves for the Dodgers in 2025. However, he has blown seven saves as well for a highly underwhelming 74.1 save percentage. It’s certainly disappointing for a 2024 MLB All-Star. As of late, he’s proving to be a weak link in the Dodgers’ bullpen.

Just last season, the Dodgers handed him a four-year, $72 million contract after he finished the 2024 campaign with the rival San Diego Padres. When he went down recently with an injury, the Dodgers had used Scott’s pause on the season not only to get him healthy but also to identify and correct some mechanics.

The Dodgers’ plan for Tanner Scott didn’t go as expected

Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic recently revealed that the Dodgers saw Tanner Scott’s time out as more than just a chance to let their high-priced reliever heal. The club used the pause to dig into Scott’s mechanics. Moreover, to identify why his dominant form wasn’t showing up in Los Angeles.

They discovered that it’s his delivery. According to Ardaya, Scott had been opening up his hips too quickly before driving down the mound. It makes him force the power behind his pitch rather than let it happen naturally.

That’s a reasonable explanation for why his fastball velocity has been 96.4 mph this season compared with 97.0 mph a year ago. It can also explain why a tight, firm slider from a year ago was producing worse results.

Well, he hasn’t managed to get any swings and misses on his slider yet. However, the pitch is a bit faster now. It averages around 90.2 mph in the 10 times he’s thrown it, compared to 88.2 mph before his injury. Still, hitters are having more success against it, with a .281 batting average and .391 slugging, up from .231 and .316 last season.

Now, some minor adjustments in his hips could be the key to unlocking the reliever that the Dodgers had invested in. Hopefully, an adjustment in his hips will really be the key to unlocking the reliever that the Dodgers were hoping to get when they gave him one of the most lucrative reliever contracts in baseball history.