No Bauer, No Problem: Bullpen shines as Dodgers win 9th straight

WASHINGTON, DC — There’s no doubt about. Your Los Angeles Dodgers are rolling. Playing without scheduled starter Trevor Bauer, who was scratched while his legal troubles are sorted out, the Dodgers had to go with a bullpen game today, and it might have been the best bullpen game of the year. Nine pitchers scattered eight hits, surrendering only one earned run along the way. The offense woke up a little late (who could blame them?) but ended up with some clutch hits in the late innings to take the lead and put the game away. The 5-1 victory over the Nationals completed a sweep of the Nats, and kept the pressure on the Giants.

Nats take an early lead

Joe Ross started for the Nationals, and kept the Dodgers in check in the early innings. Ross, who always seems to bring his A game against the Dodgers, pitched one of his best outings of the year, and held the Dodgers scoreless through the first time through the batting order.

Meanwhile, the Nats were able to get on the board in their half of the third inning, when Starlin Castro singled home Josh Harrison. Harrison, who had walked off Phil Bickford, moved to second on Juan Soto‘s single off new reliever Victor Gonzalez. Gonzalez then gave up the run-scoring knock to Castro. The inning could have gone more badly, but Gonzalez was able to get a double play ball off the bat of slugger Josh Bell to end the inning.

Beaty ties it up with one swing

But the Dodgers got that run right back in the top of the fourth. Matt Beaty, who has been struggling to find his stroke lately, led off the inning. Getting a rare start in left field, Beaty made the most of his opportunity. He ripped a 1-1 sinker to deep center field. The ball just cleared the fence for Beaty’s fourth home run of the season. Tie ball game.

And there it stayed for a while. The next two and a half innings were scoreless with Ross and the Dodgers relievers shutting down the opposing offense pretty efficiently. Joe Kelly and David Price handled the chores in the middle innings, and neither gave up a hit, striking out five along the way.

Seventh inning turns the tide

The Dodgers broke through in the top of the seventh. Gavin Lux, who was 3-for-4 on Sunday, led off with a hustle double to the right center field gap. After an Austin Barnes strikeout, manager Dave Roberts called on Albert Pujols to pinch hit in the pitcher’s spot. And, once again Tio Albert did not disappoint. He watched the first three pitches of the AB go by, and found himself in a 1-2 hole. But Ross served up a slider that caught way too much of the plate, and the Machine went to work. He ripped a ball down the left field line that easily scored the speedy Lux from second. In the scorebooks it was a single, but it could have been easily a double had anyone else been the baserunner. Nevertheless the tie was broken.

Muncy comes through. Twice.

Having done his job, Pujols was lifted for a pinch runner. Tony Gonsolin (of all people) came off the bench to replace AP at first, and almost immediately his wheels would be put into motion. After Mookie Betts flied out for the second out of the inning, the Nats brought in closer Brad Hand to face Max Muncy. It wasn’t a bad call from manager Dave Martinez. The game did seem to be hanging in the balance at that point. Unfortunately for the Nats, the strategy backfired. Muncy obliterated a pitch to center field that went all the way to the wall and enabled the Cat Man to huff his way home all the way from first. 3-1 Dodgers.

The Dodgers got a couple more insurance runs in the top of the ninth when Max Muncy hit another double to center, this one with the bases loaded, scoring a pair of Dodger runs to make the final margin of victory 5-1. Blake Treinen, Jimmy Nelson, and Kenley Jansen all had fairly stress-free innings to finish up a brilliant bullpen game.

On to Miami

Now, it’s down to South Beach to face Don Mattingly and his young Miami Marlins ballclub. Walker Buehler gets the start on Monday against the Marlins’ best pitcher this year, lefty Trevor Rogers. It should be a good pitching match-up in this first game of four against the Fish. The Marlins are scuffling right now, so there is a definite opportunity to continue this run for another week. God Bless America. Viva los Dodgers!