LOS ANGELES - Friday night at Dodger Stadium put two very different Nationals pitching stories on the same stage.
One was Jackson Kent, Washington’s No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline, trying to work through the early bumps of life in the majors in his fifth big league start. The other was Jack Sinclair, a 27-year-old who spent five years grinding in the minors before finally getting his first shot and making the most of it.
The Nationals lost 5-3 to the Dodgers, but both pitchers gave the club something to take from the night.
Kent came in after a career-best seven-inning outing against Miami on Aug. 28, a start that left manager Blake Butera talking before the game about what it meant to see the young left-hander push through fatigue.
"We asked him to go seven innings, over 100 pitches for the first time in his career. He wanted the ball, right?" Butera said.
"I think that was the part that excited me the most and allowed me to understand kind of like who he is when he's tired, when he's out of gas -- to be able to dig deep and want the ball in that situation versus trying to hand it over to the next guy. If you're trying to win games against really good teams, you got to be competitive and you've got to want the ball."
Kent looked sharp early. He kept the Dodgers off the board through the first two innings, attacking the strike zone and keeping Los Angeles hitless.
Then the third inning got away from him. Three walks opened the door, and Mookie Betts followed with an RBI single before Teoscar Hernández added a two-run double.
Kent finished with four hits allowed and three earned runs over five innings. He walked four and struck out four while throwing 87 pitches.
"The first two innings I was getting ahead of guys the entire time. That's what got me through it," Kent said. "And then third inning came around, wasn't getting ahead of guys, walked guys and paid the price for it."
Butera said the challenge for Kent now is less about raw stuff and more about resisting the urge to be too precise against big league hitters.
"I think one thing when you come up here, you obviously see the guys that we're facing -- Major League hitters that he's watched on TV for a long time," Butera said.
"Maybe he's trying to be a little bit too fine there and not wanting to attack as much. It looked like he's nibbling a little bit against some good hitters.
We just need to remind him his stuff plays. When he's living in the zone, teams are more inclined to swing.
Establishing his pitches for strikes early in counts allows him to expand."
Sinclair’s route to the majors was much longer. The 16th-round pick in 2021 spent years working toward this moment, then changed his body and mechanics this past offseason. The results showed up quickly: his fastball climbed to 99 mph, and he added a cutter.
He earned the call Friday after dominating his final eight outings with Triple-A Rochester, where he posted a 0.87 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings.
"They've all kind of created their own unique paths to get here," Butera said of relievers with extended Minor League stints. "You learn when times are tough, how did you respond versus the guy that maybe had the clear path up here? Each of them has had difficulties along their journey."
Sinclair’s debut came with 10 family members in the stands, making their first trip to Dodger Stadium. He worked a perfect eighth inning, battling Max Muncy over 10 pitches before getting him on an 85.1 mph sweeper. Sinclair then finished the frame with a flyout and a groundout.
Kent, who had shared the Minor League path with Sinclair, was glad to see his teammate cash in on the moment.
"Yeah, it was awesome. It was really cool," Kent said.
"First guy to strike out ... it was awesome to see. He's a great guy."
Butera was just as impressed by the velocity Sinclair showed.
"I knew his fastball was good, but to touch 99 -- that was impressive," Butera added.
Washington’s offense gave itself a late chance after trailing 5-0 in the ninth. Abimelec Ortiz and Jorbit Vivas each drove in runs, and James Wood - activated off the injured list on Wednesday - followed with an RBI double to trim the margin to 5-3.
It wasn’t enough to complete the comeback.
"When you have an extended period of time like he had injured, you worry about the timing," Butera said of Wood.
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