Mookie Betts missed a third consecutive game due to lower back trouble, but the Los Angeles Dodgers kept humming right along with a 9-5 win over the Washington Nationals. L.A. has now won each of their three series this season and are in position to complete a sweep Sunday.
The Nationals took an early lead as some of Julio Urias’ familiar struggles in the first inning returned. He couldn’t put batters away and Corey Seager had two hard-hit grounders go off his glove for base hits.
The Nationals cashed in on their opportunity with Starlin Castro’s blooper that dropped in shallow right field for an RBI single. Zach McKinstry helped Urias out by alertly throwing to third base to get Ryan Zimmerman for the third out.
Urias settled in after that as he retired 11 batters in a row at one point. The stretch was broken up by Juan Soto’s solo home run with one out in the sixth inning, which wound up leading to more trouble for Urias.
Three singles put another run on the board and chased him from the game. Jimmy Nelson hit the first batter faced before working out of the bases-loaded jam with a strikeout to preserve the Dodgers’ 6-3 lead.
They first pulled ahead on Zach McKinstry’s two-run single that came after Patrick Corbin walked the bases loaded in the second inning. Two batters later, Chris Taylor ambushed Corbin’s first pitch for a three-run home run that carried into the back of the Dodgers’ bullpen.
Justin Turner’s RBI double in the fifth inning gave L.A. a 6-1 lead at the time and extended his on-base streak to 39 games. It’s the longest active streak in the Majors.
AJ Pollock broke the game open with a three-run double in the seventh inning. That improved the Dodgers to 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
Dennis Santana made his first appearance of the 2021 regular season and completed a scoreless eighth inning despite allowing three hits. Scott Alexander surrendered a two-run homer to Soto in the ninth before finishing the game out.
Dodgers move Kershaw up one day
Although Dustin May was the original probable for the series finale, the Dodgers made a switch to start Clayton Kershaw so he will remain on a regular routine.
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