Leach did not allow a run in Spring training , but was still cut in the final week and sent back to the minors. However, Dwight Gooden's stint in a drug rehabilitation center coupled with Bob Ojeda being out for the season-ending surgery, opened a spot in the rotation for Leach. Leach responded with an 11–1 record and ten consecutive wins. Pitching exclusively out of the bullpen again a season later, Leach went 7–2 with a 2.54 ERA and three saves. In the 1988 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he pitched five innings without giving up a run.