Dodgers shake off Landon Knack’s rocky start, avoid sweep by Nationals
WASHINGTON — When the Dodgers boasted of their starting pitching depth leading into this season, All-Stars like Shohei Ohtani, Clayton Kershaw and Tony Gonsolin were the arms they had in mind.
None of those three are ready to pitch in the big leagues yet, so the Dodgers turned to a different level of the depth chart this week, starting Justin Wrobleski and Landon Knack in back-to-back against the Washington Nationals.
Those two combined to allow 13 runs on 12 hits and seven walks in 7⅓ innings.
Midway through Wednesday’s game at Nationals Park, that left the Dodgers staring at a potential three-game sweep by the Washington Nationals and a four-game losing streak to end their East Coast trip. But Teoscar Hernandez’s eighth RBI of the six-game trip retrieved a 6-5 victory over the Nats.
Undefeated when they left California a week ago, the Dodgers return after a flaws-filled 2-4 trip.
After a lackluster offensive effort Tuesday night – highlighted by 15 strikeouts – Dodgers manager Dave Roberts promised that wouldn’t happen again and that his team would perform better with the motivation of avoiding a sweep.
He was correct – for four batters.
The first four in the Dodgers’ lineup reached base to start the game and all four scored runs thanks to a two-run triple by Tommy Edman and a two-run home run by Hernandez.
The offense went into hibernation after that, though. Nationals starter Jake Irvin retired 18 of the next 21 Dodgers, allowing only a single and two walks while striking out seven in that time.
Knack was handed a four-run lead before he took the mound Wednesday and squandered it by the end of the third inning.
He gave up a leadoff home run to C.J. Abrams and walked three in a 41-pitch, three-run first inning then surrendered the lead in the third when he gave up a walk and two more hits before Roberts pulled him.
That turned Knack’s spot start into more of an impromptu bullpen game. The relievers did their job, holding the line and not allowing another hit until there was one out in the eighth inning.
The Nats’ bullpen was not quite as sturdy. Irvin left after six innings and 103 pitches and the Dodgers reclaimed the lead almost immediately. Andy Pages homered for the second consecutive game to tie the score. Ohtani beat out an infield single, stole second and scored the go-ahead run when Hernandez flared a two-out single into right field.
That reclaimed lead was in danger in the ninth inning, though, when the Nationals got the tying run to second base against Blake Treinen. First baseman Kiké Hernandez made a sprawling play to his right and got a force out at second base, holding the runner at third. Treinen then got James Wood to ground out and end the game.
More to come on this story.