Five scoreless innings from the Dodgers bullpen proved to be the key to their 4-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night, putting an end to a string of late-game struggles. Despite starter James Paxton’s early departure and a slow start offensively, the relief pitchers stepped up, allowing only one run through the entire game.
Michael Grove, Alex Vesia, Daniel Hudson, and Evan Phillips combined for 4 ⅔ innings of dominance, keeping the Nationals at bay. They inherited runners from Paxton in the fifth and stranded them, while Vesia stranded Grove’s runner in the sixth before pitching a scoreless seventh.
On the other side of the mound, the Nationals’ Patrick Corbin impressed with 5 ⅓ shutout innings, despite walking three batters. However, once Corbin left the game, the Dodgers offense sprang into action, starting with Kiké Hernández’s tying single in the sixth. An RBI double from James Outman and an RBI single from Miguel Rojas put the Dodgers in front in the eighth.
Shohei Ohtani provided an exclamation point in the ninth inning, launching a 450-foot homer, his sixth of the season. Hudson and Phillips worked through the late innings, with Phillips securing his sixth save despite a bases-loaded situation in the ninth.
This performance is a significant boost for the Dodgers, who had been plagued by bullpen concerns in the early going. Their newfound stability will be crucial as they embark on a nine-game road trip.
