Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
After blowing out the Nationals in back-to-back games, the Dodgers missed out on a sweep due to being shutout in a 1-0 loss.
The Dodgers had one hit with a runner on.
======
After bouncing back in his last start, Julio Urias continued that momentum tonight, pitching well again and showing improved stuff with increased velocity.
He actually faced the minimum through four innings, as he erased a walk in the 3rd with a double play and a walk in the 4th with a pick-off. The first hit he surrendered as a lead-off double in the 5th, but Urias worked around that.
The 6th proved to be a key inning and Urias’ lead-off walk came back to haunt him. A bunt single followed to put a couple on and then a Cesar Hernandez single cashed in the game’s first run.
At that point he was obviously still in trouble, but he navigated through the trouble, including winning a memorable eight-pitch battle with Juan Soto and then getting an out on a Nelson Cruz infield single that could’ve loaded the bases.
Despite exiting while losing, it was an impressive outing for Urias: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K, 87 Pitches.
Yency Almonte took over for him in the 7th and things looked rather bleak after a single and a double to start, but Almonte focused and got back-to-back strikeouts and then a groundout to end the threat. He also got a scoreless 8th in much easier 1-2-3 fashion.
——
As you probably figured out by now, the Dodgers struggled at the plate. Granted, Erick Fedde got to face the B lineup, but he did keep them quiet.
The Dodgers actually had a lot of traffic, they just could not hit with runners on. There was a single in the 1st, a lead-off double in the 2nd, a walk and a steal in the 3rd, a single in the 4th, and a double in the 5th, but all were stranded. Fedde’s only clean inning was his last, the 6th, as he shutout the Dodgers.
The Nationals pen then took over and again the Dodgers had traffic with a walk in the 7th and a single and intentional walk in the 8th, but it took until after a walk in the 9th for the Dodgers to get their first hit with a runner on.
Still, after all that, it seemed like they may have won it after a 3-2 pitch was smacked by Will Smith to deep right but was caught just in front of the wall.
——
Shutting down the run game.
======
29-14 and just 1 game up on the Padres for now.
The Dodgers now travel to Arizona for a series against the Diamondbacks that starts at 3:40 PM HT/6:40 PM PT/9:40 PM ET with Mitch White facing Humberto Castellanos.
