For the Nationals tonight, it was one of those in-between games where, as a fan, there’s grounds for saying either “well that didn’t go well” or for saying “well I guess that could have gone worse.” From the time the Dodgers took the lead in the third inning on, it was clear they were in control of the game, yet the Nats stuck around all night, always a couple of inches away from tying or taking the lead.
For Nats starter, MacKenzie Gore, it was definitely not a night to write home about; the ace was not sharp at times, struggling with his command for a lot of his outing. But one defensive play that should have ended an inning put Gore in a spot he couldn’t get out of. That play has to question the priorities in lineups of the balance of projected offense versus predictable defense.
As a whole, it seemed like the Nationals’ pitching staff was being overly careful pretty much the entire night, walking six guys against a team that is known for their ability to capitalize on opportunities given by opponents. And don’t get me wrong, I will freely acknowledge that theirs is a very intimidating lineup to face and to gameplan for, but my philosophy on pitching would always prefer to lose by giving up 15 hits than giving up a bunch of walks.
It was a very positive start to the night for the visitors, Amed Rosario took a first-pitch fastball from Clayton Kershaw and turned on it, shooting it 396 feet and out to left to give the Nats an early 1-0 lead. The Nats would put two men on base in each of the next two innings, but Kershaw in both situations showed his veteran resolve and found a way out of each jam, keeping it a one run ballgame.
The Dodgers would finally get on the board in a bit of a tough luck play for the Nats in the bottom of the third. Mookie Betts hit a ground ball to Brady House, who had the chance to start what would’ve been an inning-ending double play, and it was ruled a twin-killing on the field and a zero on the board until it was challenged and reversed. Betts was safe by inches. Amed Rosario had some trouble getting the ball out of his glove at second, and his throw to first was just barely too late to get Betts, allowing the tying run to score and they weren’t done yet.
“It’s a play that I should’ve made, that you should make. Those type of plays have to be executed.”
— Rosario said after the game about the botched double play
This bobble at second would prove rather costly as the next batter would walk and then Teoscar Hernandez made Gore and the Nats pay as he hit a rope back up the middle that was grabbed on an incredible diving play by CJ Abrams but couldn’t get the ball out of his glove on the flip to second, allowing Betts to come in and score the go-ahead run. But they still weren’t done yet. Next batter, Andy Pages, shot a base hit to center to score Will Smith and make it 3-1, before Gore finally got Tommy Edman to strike out, ending the inning. Gore’s pitch count ballooned after the failed double play. He was visibly frustrated as he walked off the mound.
“You look back at two plays, you know, House got to that ball, turned it over real quick, and Rosey (Rosario) couldn’t get it out of his glove [quick enough]. … Conforto made the play of his life [to rob Nathaniel Lowe].”
— Martinez said after the game as he mentioned this twice in his postgame presser in praising Brady House’s defense
The score would remain 3-1 into the bottom half of the fourth when the Dodgers stepped right back onto the gas pedal, once again doing their damage with two outs. Part of Gore’s frustrating night was just how seemingly easily most of the damage against him could’ve been avoided by just getting one more out on multiple occasions. A two-out double by Miguel Rojas, followed by a Shohei Ohtani single, would allow LA to add to the lead, making it 4-1 after four.
Then Riley Adams, one of the most controversial figures on the team amongst the fanbase this year, came up huge, leading off the fifth inning with a solo shot to left off Kershaw for his third of the year. A huge relief it must’ve been for Adams, whose struggles this season have been heavily scrutinized, and rightfully so, as many are upset with the current catching situation, in regards to defense and offense, for the Nationals and for good reason, so it was very good to see him find some success tonight.
Gore continued to battle into the bottom of the sixth inning where he once again got to two outs then walked Kiké Hernández and the next batter, Miguel Rojas, made him pay by swatting a two-run shot out to left field to make it 6-2 Dodgers and close the door on MacKenzie’s night.
- MacKenzie Gore: 5.2 innings, 7 hits, 6 runs (5 earned), 4 walks, 4 strikeouts, 100 pitches
- Clayton Kershaw: 5 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs (all earned), 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, 78 pitches
To the Nats’ credit, they never went down without a fight tonight. Luis Garcia entered the game as a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh in a bases-loaded, two-out situation, and he came up huge with a double to right that scored two, bringing the Nationals back to a two-run deficit at 6-4. Another one of those moments where it feels like Nats teams of the past may have rolled over and struck out, not scoring those runs, but this team can be counted on to at least land a couple of punches and not be put away easily.
They got a good night from the bullpen for the second straight day, Jackson Rutledge and Eduardo Salazar gave the Nats 2.1 innings of scoreless relief to keep the Nats within striking distance. The margin got too close for comfort for the Dodgers in the ninth, CJ Abrams checked in with a one-out solo homer off of Tanner Scott to make it a 6-5 game with Amed Rosario and James Wood due up next, and for a moment, you could feel the crowd at Dodger Stadium collectively inhale. Unfortunately, Scott would get both to ground out, ending game one of this West Coast trip with the Nationals coming up just short, losing a competitive 6-5 game to the Dodgers. There were plenty of opportunities tonight, poor defense combined with going 1-8 with runners in scoring position was all it took to seal the Nationals’ fate tonight and leave them just short of what would have been an excellent win.
The Nats got a great performance as I stated earlier from Rutledge and Salazar tonight, but there were some offensive standouts as well. We saw Amed Rosario and CJ Abrams both on base three times tonight, and both starting middle infielders left the yard tonight as well. Unfortunately, they were the only two, with Adams, who reached more than once, as the story of the night seems to be just a series of painful “what ifs” based on unlucky BABIP and the game of inches.
“It’s a game of inches.”
— said Martinez as his final comment of the night
Game two of this series against the Dodgers will get started tomorrow night at 10:10 PM. Jake Irvin (5-3, 4.23 ERA) will get the ball for the Nats, and he’ll be opposed by Dustin May (4-4, 4.46) whom the Nats have seen already this season back on April 7th where they handed him the loss after going six innings and surrendering three runs, only one earned. Jake’s going to have to be aggressive tomorrow night while still staying within himself and not letting hitters get away from him like Gore did at times this evening. This is a good lineup, but when you help them out, they become a great lineup. It should be an excellent challenge for the boys tomorrow night, and one the Nats have to win if they want a shot at winning the series. Make sure to tune in tomorrow night, and let’s stay behind them.
