The Los Angeles Dodgers fell 4-1 to the Washington Nationals, snapping their season-best eight-game winning streak and resulting in Tony Gonsolin taking his first loss of the season.
Gonsolin didn’t allow a hit until Yadiel Hernandez led off the fifth inning with a home run to tie the game. Gonsolin retired the next two batters but the Nationals then put together a two-out rally.
After Ehire Adrianza’s base hit, Victor Robles’ single put runners at the corners. Gonsolin then was hurt by bad luck as César Hernández’s fly ball landed just fair in shallow left field for an RBI single.
Juan Soto followed that with a chopper that was ruled fair and rolled to the wall for a two-run triple. Soto finished the night 2-for-4 with the two RBI and one walk as he plays amid swirling trade rumors.
Gonsolin exited after six innings and with the Dodgers trailing 4-1. He’s only allowed four earned runs twice in 43 career starts, with both instances now coming in back-to-back outings. Sandwiched in between was taking a loss in the All-Star Game, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts wasn’t concerned.
“I talked to him right after the outing and I did hear him say regardless of the result — he was disappointed — but the perspective that he’s still a Major League All-Star and he got a chance to compete against the best,” Roberts said.
“I do think Tony is pretty mentally tough, so I don’t think it will phase him. Yeah, I would’ve loved for it to gone scoreless on 10 pitches, but that wasn’t to be. But I don’t think that will affect him at all going forward.”
Dodgers lineup sputters
Trayce Thompson provided the only scoring of the night for L.A. with a solo home run in the third inning.
The Dodgers were in position to cut into their deficit in the bottom of the fifth with the bases loaded, but Mookie Betts was called out on strikes and Trea Turner lined out. Betts took a pitch that was down the heart of the plate and smacked at the barrel of his bat while walking back to the dugout.
Max Muncy represented the tying run at the plate in the eighth but took an awkward swing and struck out to end the inning.
Betts (five games) and Freddie Freeman (12) had their respective hitting streaks snapped. Turner’s ground-rule double in the fourth inning extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
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