Dodgers lose 7th straight on D-backs' walk-off vs. Edwin Diaz - ESPN

PHOENIX — The two-time defending World Series champions are in a rare funk.

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost their season-high seventh game in a row in a stunning collapse Friday night after the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied for a 4-3 win when rookie Ryan Waldschmidt hit a two-run, walk-off homer against closer Edwin Diaz.

«A loss is a loss, but to get walked off never feels good,» Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. «We didn't play a clean game, a great game, on either side of the baseball, but we did enough to put ourselves in position to win a game.

»Unfortunately, we couldn't finish it."

It was another rough outing for Diaz, who has an 11.00 ERA over 11 outings this season. The 32-year-old is a three-time All-Star, but he hasn't helped the Dodgers much after signing a three-year, $69 million deal during the offseason.

Waldschmidt connected on Diaz's hanging slider, hitting it into the left-center field seats for his second career homer and first big league walk-off.

«It's the slider,» Diaz said. «The fastball was great today, but I missed the slider right in the middle. I think I was trying to be perfect with the pitch, and I'm missing right in the middle. I've got to be better. I'm a big league pitcher, so I've got to make pitches.»

The Dodgers were swept by the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs coming into Friday night's game. They still have a comfortable lead in the National League West — 7½ games in front of the Diamondbacks — despite a 10-16 record since July 5.

Roberts acknowledged that Diaz has been struggling since his return from the injured list on July 29, but the manager wasn't necessarily ready to try a new closer. His reasoning was simple: There's no clear-cut alternative.

«Honestly, you've got to look at the