Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
After an eventful four-game series, and really three series in a row again divisional rivals, the Dodgers welcomed the Nationals to Chavez Ravine. Mostly I was hoping they wouldn’t have a letdown, but the reserves were hungry to not lose their roster spots, and they gave Clayton Kershaw a healthy amount of support as the pen held on late in a 6-5 victory.
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Things didn’t start ideally, as the Dodgers got put behind quickly yet again in the 1st when Amed Rosario homered off Clayton Kershaw to put the Nationals up 1-0.
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 21, 2025
Fortunately, the Dodgers were next to score despite wasting a lead-off walk in the 1st and a leadoff single in the 2nd. From there, the reserve guys came up big. The rally started with an Enrique Hernandez double in the 3rd, and he scored after a groundout from Miguel Rojas moved him over, a Shohei Ohtani walk cornered things, and Mookie Betts barely beat out a double play to tie things at 1-1.
That was a huge play, as Will Smith walked to move everybody up a bag, and Teoscar Hernandez then lined a ball back up the box for an infield single when CJ Abrams speared it but his wild toss allowed Betts to score for the lead. Andy Pages followed with a single to score Dills, and it was a 3-1 lead all of a sudden.
Three runs in the third for the lead! pic.twitter.com/d6LInLCMXp
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 21, 2025
It was another two-out rally that got Gore in the 4th, as a Rojas double was cashed in by a Shohei single to push the lead to 4-1.
¡Shohei en el hueco para que Miggy llegue al plato! pic.twitter.com/fN7NjwIqx0
— Los Dodgers (@LosDodgers) June 21, 2025
Meanwhile, Kershaw wasn’t really sharp, and had to navigate around traffic. A walk and single in the 2nd was quieted thanks to a double play, and a walk and single in the 3rd avoided trouble thanks to two strikeouts. He got his first clean frame in the 4th, but the 5th started with him giving up a homer to Riley Adams to cut the lead to 4-2. He came into the game with an OPS barely above .300 in a decent sample.
Riley Adams gets the Nats a little closer! pic.twitter.com/ntJmCpTabP
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 21, 2025
Kershaw still had to get around a single and wild pitch to end the 5th, but he managed to get through it with minimal damage: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 78 Pitches.
Eight strikeouts away from 3,000 for Kersh. ? pic.twitter.com/gvZAX4pdk6
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 21, 2025
Eight strikeouts away from 3,000, btw.
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Back to Gore, who cruised through the 5th but amusingly ran into trouble in the 6th due to another two-out bottom of the order rally. This time it was Enrique walking and then Rojas following with his third homer of the year to make it 6-2.
A no-doubter from Miggy! pic.twitter.com/Rdv3ITCEjk
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 21, 2025
I dunno, man. Baseball shit.
The reserve lineup has now handed Gore his worst start of the season, I think. Baseball. https://t.co/QlnAKPZZaO
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) June 21, 2025
That knocked Gore out of the game as well.
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The Dodgers pen perhaps started an inning earlier than expected given Kershaw’s pitch count, but Michael Kopech gave up just a two-out single in the 6th to start things well.
That didn’t last, as Alex Vesia entered and hit their struggling reserve catcher to start a rally in the 7th. He followed that by allowing a lineout, single, and walking a batter to load things up with one down. He did rebound with an important strikeout, but that was the end of the line for him.
Maybe he didn't like the way Vesia was throwing or a pitch count thing, but yeah. Not an ideal navigation of matchups. https://t.co/dxpvLIrMpP
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) June 21, 2025
Reserve manager Danny Lehmann (Dave Roberts is suspended) turned to Kirby Yates, which allowed the Nationals to hit Luis Garcia Jr. for their random DH, and he came through with a two-run single that cut the lead to 6-4.
It certainly could’ve been a lot worse, as Michael Conforto saved two more runs from scoring with a diving catch of a soft liner in left.
Michael Conforto with a fantastic diving catch in left to preserve the lead. Bacon saver. pic.twitter.com/Jac0AlVuX8
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) June 21, 2025
Phew.
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Back to the offense, they wasted big chances in the 7th and 8th innings. A lead-off double and walk led to nothing in the 7th, then a one-out double and walk/wild pitch in the 8th had runners cornered with one out but also led to nothing.
And so it was just a two-run advantage.
To close the game out was Jack Dreyer in the 8th, who got a scoreless frame without drama, and then it was Tanner Scott in the 9th. He allowed a solo shot to Abrams in a great at-bat after he worked a 3-2 count, making it 6-5, but thankfully that was the end of it.
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| NL West | Record | GB |
|---|---|---|
| Dodgers | 47-30 | – |
| Giants | 42-33* | 4.0 |
| Padres | 40-35 | 6.0 |
Tomorrow’s game will be at the same time of 4:10 PM HT.7:10 PM PT/10:10 PM ET and it’ll be on MLB Network. The pitching matchup will be Dustin May against Jake Irvin.
