Don't expect this result from Dodgers often
Juan Toribio
@juanctoribioWASHINGTON -- The Dodgers lead the National League in just about every offensive category. But over the course of a 162-game season, even the best lineups in the sport will have some clunkers.
That was the case on Wednesday, as Los Angeles was shut out for the first time since August 29, 2021, in a 1-0 loss to Washington at Nationals Park. The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak against the Nats.
“I think, first off, you have to give [Nationals starter Erick Fedde] credit, he threw the baseball well,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “He was certainly up for this game and this matchup against us, and you have to tip your hat to him. I thought we had some opportunities at different points in the game but couldn’t get that big hit.”
Los Angeles’ lineup had a different look to it on Wednesday. Both Mookie Betts and Will Smith got a scheduled day off and Cody Bellinger needed some extra rest to recover from a non-COVID illness. All three ended up taking at-bats late in the game, with Smith nearly giving the Dodgers the lead in the ninth.
Keeping Betts out of the lineup was the toughest decision for Roberts and the Dodgers. Betts has been the hottest hitter in the NL this month and carried the team to another win on Tuesday with two homers, his eighth and ninth in May. But with the Dodgers in the thick of a stretch of 31 games in 30 days, they prioritized their long-term outlook and gave the one-time AL MVP a day off.
“It’s not easy,” Roberts said of the decision. “I’m the first advocate to say that every game is important and you try to win every game, but there are costs. Mookie wanted to be in there, but we talked about an off-day and I wanted to stay true to that. … It’s certainly not easy to rest a player of his magnitude, but I’d do the same thing again considering everything.”
Even with Betts out of the lineup, the Dodgers had their chances on Wednesday. Following an intentional walk to Freddie Freeman in the eighth, the Dodgers had two on with one out. Nationals reliever Kyle Finnegan escaped the jam by getting Justin Turner to pop out to first and striking out Edwin Ríos swinging.
In the ninth, the Dodgers also had the tying run in scoring position with one out, but Bellinger flew out to center and Smith’s fly ball was caught up against the wall in right by Juan Soto.
Though the offense was lacking, Dodgers left-hander Julio Urías gave the team a chance to win with his fourth quality start of the season, allowing one run on four hits over six innings. Urías carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning, but Washington was eventually able to get the contest’s only run across on a César Hernández RBI single in the sixth.
Urías was able to limit the damage, however, by striking out Soto for the second out. Then, before facing Cruz for a third time, Roberts took the mound to ask the left-hander how he felt. Urías immediately told him he wanted to finish the inning. He did just that, thanks to a baserunning mistake by the Nationals after a Trea Turner bobble at short.
“He gave me the confidence, and I liked it because, honestly, those are the moments that you want to stay in the game,” Urías said in Spanish. “That gave me confidence and thankfully I was able to get the job done.”
The Dodgers’ offense wasn’t able to get the job done, and the club fell shy of completing the sweep for a second consecutive series. Still, the Dodgers are 4-2 during their current 10-game road trip.
“They pulled the right strings and they beat us today,” Roberts said. “We’ll turn the page and get ready for the Diamondbacks.”