OOTP 21: April 11, 2020 – Nationals 3, Dodgers 2 – Scherzer’d

Washington rode a fine outing from starter Max Scherzer to a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.

Just Scherzer’d.

Scherzer was dealing all game. He kept the Dodgers’ hitters off-balance, evidenced by just two hits allowed over eight innings. Scherzer needed just 103 pitches to get through eight frames. He allowed two runs (one earned), walked one and struck out seven. Aside from the lack of strikeouts, it was a vintage Scherzer performance.

The key at this level is throwing strike one,” said Scherzer. “Successful pitchers do it.

Max, my dude, awesome insight.

Mookie Betts homered for the second consecutive game, as he got the Dodgers on the board first. Unfortunately, Will Smith was the only other Dodger hitter to record a hit (a double).

Julio Urias matched Scherzer as best he could with his best outing of the season: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 95 pitches, 60 strikes. Adam Kolarek got through the seventh inning and, for some reason, Dave Roberts decided to allow him to face five Washington hitters. That ended up being a mistake. With a 1-1 tie in the eighth, he allowed Yan Gomes to reach. Pedro Baez relieved him and gave up run-scoring singles to Howie Kendrick and Carter Kieboom. The Dodgers countered with a run in the bottom of the eighth before Sean Doolittle threw a perfect ninth inning to record the save.

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Joe Kelly came out after one pitch and was placed on the 15-day injured list following the game due to shoulder inflammation. He’s expected to miss 6-7 weeks. The Dodgers purchased the contract of Edubray Ramos from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take Kelly’s spot.

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Washington moves to 7-7 with the win, while the Dodgers fall to 8-7. Walker Buehler takes on a human named Dustin Molleken on Sunday afternoon.

About Dustin Nosler

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Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosted a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He was a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times and True Blue LA. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.