WASHINGTON (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers' eight-game win streak at the beginning of the season --- which marked their first such run since 1955 when they were still based in Brooklyn --- did not foreshadow the rough patch that was about to come.
One week following their initial journey to the East Coast this year, the Dodgers came back home having lost four out of their first five games on a tour through Philadelphia and Washington. They managed to stage a comeback though, securing a 6-5 win against the Nationals on Wednesday.
I might not call you eager for a victory occasionally, but we certainly did not wish to depart from this place empty-handed," stated relief pitcher Kirby Yates. "I believe everyone understands our potential within this team, and although it was a challenging game to secure a win, we managed to do just that.
Yates (1-0) contributed to a six-pitcher relay that resulted in 6 2/3 innings of one-hit, scoreless relief. In the first inning, Teoscar Hernández hit his fifth homer of the year and plated three runs, with an eventual go-ahead blooper in the seventh.
Los Angeles managed to avoid being swept by Washington for the first time since August 2008.
"It doesn’t feel great to lose a series, but winning the final game to turn it around definitely makes it more bearable," remarked Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts.
It seemed the Dodgers could be in for a comfortable day when it led 4-0 four batters into the game. Hernández capped that stretch with a two-run shot to left-center off Washington starter Jake Irvin, but that was all Los Angeles could muster until the seventh.
The Dodgers also struggled because of injuries to their rotation. Justin Wrobleski was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take injured left-hander Blake Snell’s turn Tuesday and allowed eight runs in five innings of an 8-2 loss.
Los Angeles called up Landon Knack from Oklahoma City and sent Wrobleski down on Wednesday. The right-handed pitcher allowed five runs in just 2 1/3 innings.
The bullpen maintained the Dodgers' lead at 5-4, and Andy Pages equalized the game with a solo home run when there was only one batter left in the seventh inning. Four hitters after that, when Hernández stepped up to bat with runners on first and third base, he hit a two-out single just past the reach of second baseman Luis García Jr., giving Los Angeles the advantage.
That’s the plate appearances where you aim to secure the victory," Hernández stated. "Scoring doesn’t always come from those powerful swings.
The conclusion wasn't seamless, as Blake Treinen allowed runners to advance to second and third in the ninth inning until James Wood hit a ground ball to second base, ending the game. Nevertheless, this was enough for Los Angeles to become one of the first two teams, alongside their division rivals San Diego, to achieve 10 wins for the season.
When you're supposed to win all 162 games in a season and you lose four in one week, it might seem like the apocalypse," said Kike Hernandez. "However, ultimately, we still have 148 left. We will inevitably play terrible ball at times, and this happened to be that particular week.
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