Nationals’ Ninth-Inning Rally Falls Short in 5-3 Loss to Dodgers

The Washington Nationals waited until the ninth inning to find their offense Friday night, and by then the hole was too deep.

Washington scored three times in the final inning and brought the tying run to the plate, but the late rally fell short as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Nationals 5-3 at Dodger Stadium in the opener of a three-game series.

The loss dropped Washington to 67-76 while Los Angeles improved to 84-57 and strengthened its position atop the National League West.

The final score does not completely tell the story.

Washington finished with 10 hits compared with only five for Los Angeles. The Nationals, however, could not solve Dodgers starter Blake Snell when the game remained within reach.

Snell Keeps Washington Quiet

Snell was the difference.

The veteran left-hander pitched six scoreless innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out seven. He improved to 3-1 and continued an impressive return after undergoing elbow surgery earlier this season.

Washington put runners on base but could not produce the hit that changed the game.

The Nationals remained scoreless through the first eight innings despite eventually reaching double digits in the hit column.

That gave Los Angeles plenty of time to construct its lead.

Dodgers Break Through in Third

Nationals starter Jackson Kent matched Snell early, keeping Los Angeles scoreless through the first two innings.

The game changed in the third.

Mookie Betts opened the scoring with an RBI single before Teoscar Hernández delivered the biggest hit of the inning, a two-run double that pushed Los Angeles ahead 3-0.

That three-run inning proved costly because of how well Snell was pitching on the other side.

Los Angeles added another run during the fourth, with a Washington defensive mistake contributing to the Dodgers’ fourth run.

Kent ultimately allowed four runs, three earned, on four hits over five innings and took the loss, dropping to 1-3.

It was not a disastrous performance from the 23-year-old left-hander against one of baseball’s deepest lineups, but Washington’s inability to score made every mistake significantly more damaging.

Tucker Provides the Insurance

Kyle Tucker gave Los Angeles another important insurance run in the sixth.

Tucker launched a solo home run to make it 5-0, snapping a lengthy home run drought at Dodger Stadium. It was his first home homer since June.

That run appeared insignificant with Washington still scoreless.

It became considerably more important three innings later.

Los Angeles managed just five hits all night, but Betts, Hernández and Tucker made them count.

That was the fundamental difference between the two offenses.

Washington accumulated baserunners.

Los Angeles produced runs.

Nationals Finally Come Alive

The Nationals entered the ninth trailing 5-0 and appeared headed toward a relatively uneventful loss.

Then things became interesting.

Washington finally broke through against the Dodgers bullpen.

Abimelec Ortiz drove in Washington’s first run. Jorbit Vivas added another RBI, and James Wood brought home the third run as the Nationals suddenly cut a five-run deficit to two.

Wood’s contribution continued another productive season for the young Washington star. He entered the series already with 27 doubles and 73 RBIs before adding to both totals during the game.

Los Angeles was forced to bring Jack Dreyer into the game to stop the rally.

Dreyer finally did, recording his second save and preserving the 5-3 Dodgers victory.

The rally did not change the result, but it prevented Washington from quietly accepting a shutout and provided something positive to carry into the remainder of the series.

Washington Had Its Chances

This was not a game in which the Nationals were completely overwhelmed offensively.

They had 10 hits.

Washington also produced extra-base hits from Wood, Daylen Lile, Brady House and Yohandy Morales.

The problem was sequencing.

Five hits against Snell produced zero runs. By the time the Nationals finally put their hits together, Los Angeles had accumulated a five-run advantage.

That is particularly frustrating considering the Dodgers were playing without Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani missed his second consecutive game while dealing with right biceps and left knee issues. Los Angeles also gave Freddie Freeman the night off.

Even without two of its biggest offensive stars in the starting lineup, Los Angeles found enough production.

Washington did not until the ninth.

Kent Faces a Difficult Test

Kent’s final line will not stand out, but there were still encouraging moments for the young starter.

Facing a Dodgers club fighting for postseason positioning at Dodger Stadium is a significant challenge for any pitcher, particularly one early in his major-league career.

Kent entered the night 1-2 with a 5.59 ERA through his first 19 1/3 innings in the majors.

He held Los Angeles without a run for the first two innings before the Dodgers finally broke through.

The Nationals need to continue evaluating young pitching over the final weeks of the season, and starts against clubs such as Los Angeles provide a much better measuring stick than the final box score alone.

Road Trip Starts With a Loss

Friday marked the beginning of Washington’s six-game trip through California.

The Nationals will play two more against the Dodgers before traveling south for three games against the San Diego Padres.

Washington entered Friday having played better recently, winning six of its previous 10 games. The Nationals were also a respectable 34-35 away from home entering the series.

The Dodgers presented a significant step up in competition.

Los Angeles entered the series leading the NL West and had already swept Washington in three games at Nationals Park in April, scoring 31 runs during that series.

Friday’s game was considerably more competitive.

It still ended with the same result.

What Is Next

Washington gets another difficult assignment Saturday night.

Cade Cavalli is scheduled to start for the Nationals, while Los Angeles will counter with Tyler Glasnow.

For Washington, the goal should be carrying the ninth-inning approach into the beginning of Saturday’s game.

Waiting eight innings to produce with runners on base is not going to work against the Dodgers.

MSB Take

I actually think there are two ways to look at this loss.

The frustrating part is obvious. You cannot outhit a team 10-5 and spend almost the entire night trailing 5-0. Washington had enough baserunners to make this a completely different game, but Snell was excellent when he needed to be and the Nationals could not deliver the big hit.

Los Angeles did.

That is what good teams do.

But I also liked what Washington showed in the ninth inning.

It would have been very easy for a young Nationals team to go quietly after falling behind 5-0 on the road against one of the best teams in baseball. Instead, Ortiz, Vivas and Wood helped turn what looked like a routine Dodgers victory into a game Los Angeles suddenly had to finish.

That matters for a team still trying to build something.

I am also interested in watching Kent over these final weeks. The numbers were not great Friday, but facing Betts, Hernández, Tucker and the rest of this Dodgers lineup at Dodger Stadium is exactly the type of experience Washington’s young pitchers need.

The Nationals are not where the Dodgers are yet.

The objective over these final weeks is finding the players who can help them eventually get there.

Friday’s ninth inning showed some fight. Now Washington needs to show it from the first inning Saturday.