Diaz struck out two but gave up a two-run home run in an inning of relief during Sunday's loss to the Nationals.
The Mets were already down by a run when Diaz took the mound in the ninth inning, but he dug the hole deeper. Manager Mickey Callaway has repeatedly refused to name anyone else as his closer, but he said Sunday that Seth Lugo would be getting regular save chances moving forward, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. "I think you always have to be open for adjustments," Callaway said. "The season is going to change. Guys are going to be effective at times, not effective at times. At this point, the sample sizes aren't that small anymore. I believe that guys have earned a right to do something until they haven't." Diaz has definitely un-earned a spot in the ninth inning -- he's managed only one scoreless outing in his last six appearances, and since the beginning of July he has a 7.62 ERA and 1.69 WHIP over 13 innings despite maintaining a 14.5 K/9.