The Dodgers had to dig a little deeper than they probably wanted to on Sunday night, but they still walked out of a stormy September finale with a sweep in hand. Los Angeles beat the Washington Nationals 7-5 to finish off a three-game set and extend its winning streak to four.
For a while, it looked like the Dodgers were in control early again. Justin Wrobleski and Washington left-hander Andrew Alvarez matched each other through the first two innings before Los Angeles pushed across the game’s first run in the bottom of the third. Max Muncy doubled, Tommy Edman reached on an infield single, and Mookie Betts brought Muncy home with a groundout to give the Dodgers their third straight early lead in the series.
Then the fourth inning flipped the whole game.
CJ Abrams opened the inning with a solo homer, his third in seven at-bats against Wrobleski, and the Nationals kept coming. Brady House singled, Daylen Lile doubled to put two on with nobody out, and Harry Ford lifted a fly ball to left that Teoscar Hernández couldn’t corral, bringing both runners home. Jacob Young followed with a single to center, and just like that Washington had scored four and chased Wrobleski from the game.
The outing fit the rough stretch Wrobleski has been living through since the second half began. He now owns a 7.55 ERA over 31 innings in seven appearances, including six starts. On Sunday, his three innings were the fewest he’s thrown in any start this season.
Brock Stewart helped settle things down, and Blake Treinen returned for his first appearance since June 19 to toss a scoreless fifth and keep the Dodgers within striking distance. That mattered, because the offense answered quickly against Alvarez. Tommy Edman doubled home Max Muncy to trim the lead to 4-2, and after Brad Lord came in and got Betts to ground out, Los Angeles ripped off three straight singles to tie the game at 4.
The back-and-forth continued in the sixth, this time with Bobby Miller in the middle of it. Making his season debut and his first big league appearance since May 24 last year, Miller ran into trouble after loading the bases and hitting Dylan Crews with two outs. Washington went back in front by one, and the Dodgers had a chance to respond in the bottom of the inning, but Betts just missed sending one out to left field.
Miller settled in after that. He posted a clean seventh on 17 pitches, then worked a perfect eighth, helped by a Kyle Tucker home run robbery that kept the Dodgers down by just a run. Miller finished with three innings, allowing one run.
The final swing came in the eighth against Will Dion. After Dion retired the first two hitters, Alex Call singled to start a two-run rally, and Betts unloaded on a three-run homer to put Los Angeles ahead for good. It was the Dodgers’ second straight game with a go-ahead three-run blast.
Edgardo Henriquez handled the ninth, even after issuing a leadoff walk to James Wood, and earned his second save of the season. The Dodgers also finished off a perfect 6-0 season series against Washington.
The win left Los Angeles a full game ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the National League’s second seed and 1 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the top seed.
In Other News...
Dodgers May Have A Postseason Bullpen Option Nobody Saw Coming
The Dodgers added Tarik Skubal and Kris Bubic ahead of the trade deadline, and the bigger question now is how each fits when October arrives. While Skubal brings obvious front-line value, Dave Roberts also singled out Bubic as a name to watch, noting both his experience and the progress he has made in his rehab work after landing on the injured list in mid-May.
Bubic has been working back through assignments and has shown enough along the way to keep his postseason path open. For a Dodgers club that always wants as many usable arms as possible in the playoffs, the possibility of turning a rehabbing starter into a bullpen option is the sort of depth move that can matter late, even if the final answer is still to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Could Soon Cut Short One Young Infielders Opportunity
Andy Pages is starting to work his way back from the fractured left hand he suffered Aug. 21, and the first encouraging sign for the Dodgers is that he has begun hitting off a tee without pain. While Pages has been sidelined, Los Angeles has patched together the outfield and infield with a mix of Alek Thomas, Tommy Edman and Alex Freeland, a reminder of how quickly one injury can ripple through the roster and create opportunities in a hurry.
Freeland has been the name to watch in that shuffle, even if his bat has not given the Dodgers much reason to slow down the next move. Because he still has minor league options left, his place on the roster looks especially vulnerable once Pages is ready to return, and the front office may not have much choice if it wants to restore the lineup and keep its defensive alignment where it prefers it. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Hand Emmet Sheehan A Big Late Season Opportunity
With Eric Lauer headed to the injured list, the Dodgers are turning to Emmet Sheehan for an important late-season chance against the Reds. The right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City and is now getting a big-league assignment at a time when Los Angeles is still fine-tuning its pitching mix for October.
Sheehan has earned the look with his recent work in the minors, and the Dodgers are clearly hoping that form carries over when the games start to matter most. For a club already thinking ahead to the postseason, this start offers both a chance to stabilize the rotation and a reminder that there is still room for one more arm to make a case. [Read more 🡒]