Nationals: Takeaways From 8-1 Win Over Dodgers
Check out our three takeaways from last night’s Washington Nationals win against the Dodgers
For the first time in 2016, the Washington Nationals (57-38) got a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers (53-43) last night at Nats Park by a final score of 8-1. Right out of the gate, Bryce Harper crushed a two-run home run in the first against Bud Norris.
After a rough first half, Gio Gonzalez got his second half off to a good start by giving up only one run over six innings. That run came on a RBI single by Charlie Culberson in the top of the second.
As for the rest of the offense, the Washington Nationals had four home runs, including back-to-back home runs by Ben Revere and Jayson Werth in the bottom of the fifth. In addition to the offense, the baserunning stood out last night from Trea Turner as he stole home on a double steal with Danny Espinosa in the bottom of the sixth.
After Gonzalez finished his outing, Felipe Rivero and rookie Koda Glover shut out the Dodgers for the final three innings. Glover, who was chosen in the eighth round of last year’s MLB Draft, only needed four pitches to complete a 1-2-3 ninth.
With the win last night and losses by the Marlins and the Mets, the Nats increased their leads in the NL East to 5.5 and 6.5 games respectively over those teams.
Before Stephen Strasburg goes for the series win this afternoon against the Dodgers (12:05 p.m ET, MASN2/MLB Network), check out my three takeaways from last night’s Washington Nationals win:
Next: Gonzalez Has Good First 2nd Half Start
Gonzalez Has Good First 2nd Half Start
In his first start since July 10 against the Mets, Gonzalez put together a consistent outing last night against the Dodgers. The Washington Nationals left-hander went six innings, gave up one run on three hits, struck out six, and walked two on 97 pitches (56 strikes) in the win.
The command was much better from Gonzalez as this was the first time in four starts (June 25 against the Brewers) that Gonzalez walked fewer than three batters. His six strikeouts were also one fewer than his last two starts combined (seven against the Mets and Brewers).
Gonzalez was able to work methodically through this game with the exception of the second inning. During that inning, he needed 28 pitches. After a Scott Van Slyke single, he stole second and went to third because of an error by Wilson Ramos.
However, once again, the walks came back to bite Gonzalez. He walked Yasmani Grandal with two outs, which led to the base hit to right by Culberson. But, after that inning, Gonzalez gave up only one hit, which was a double by Yasiel Puig in the fourth inning.
With the injury to Joe Ross leaving the fifth starter spot in flux now that Reynaldo Lopez is back in the minor leagues, the Washington Nationals need more consistency from Gonzalez in the second half. Hopefully, he can build off of last night’s start and his recent stretch of starts in which he has won three of his last four outings.
Next: Turner Bringing Spark To Lineup
Turner Bringing Spark To Lineup
With Anthony Rendon back last night after the flu, Dusty Baker tried something different with the lineup. Instead of hitting Turner leadoff, he moved him down to seventh in the order with Espinosa hitting eighth.
The 23-year-old only had one hit last night, but that one hit showed the great speed Turner brings to the table. In the bottom of the sixth, Turner hit a pitch from Louis Coleman down the line in left field that ended up being a triple.
Last night was the second straight game that Turner had a triple after his two-run triple in Tuesday’s loss. But, that hit wasn’t the highlight of the night. With runners on the corners, Espinosa went off first base causing a throw over. Then, Turner was able to race home and beat the throw home, capping the double steal.
When you talk about Turner’s game, his speed is what stands out and he fits the aggressive baserunning style that Baker wants the Washington Nationals to play. Here is a good stat on his speed from Andrew Simon of MLB.com:
Best max speed on a 3B this year in MLB:
— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) July 21, 2016
1. Trea Turner, 22.7 mph
2. Ben Revere, 22.5 mph
3. Turner, 22.4 mph
Turner's both in past 2 days.
As long as Ryan Zimmerman is on the disabled list, Turner is going to get regular playing time at second base. Since he is still a young player, he will have bad games such as the one he had Sunday with his baserunning mistake. With that being said, he still has the potential to change games with his speed, like he did in last night’s win for the Nationals.
Next: Glover Has Success In Debut
Glover Has Success In Debut
For the second straight night, the Washington Nationals fans saw another one of their top prospects make their debut. On Tuesday night, Reynaldo Lopez did strike out nine Dodgers, but he also allowed six earned runs in a loss.
More from District on Deck
- Latest DraftKings Sportsbook Promo Code in Maryland: Bet $5, Win $200 Guaranteed
- Nationals Claim Jeter Downs Off Waivers
- Washington Nationals Minor League Spotlight: Robert Hassell III
- Washington Nationals Tuesday Q&A
- 3 Free Agents the Nationals Should Gamble On
Yesterday afternoon, in what was somewhat of a surprise, Koda Glover was called up to make his Major League debut. It’s been a quick road to the Majors for the 23-year-old after being drafted last season, but it wasn’t as quick as his outing last night.
Glover only needed four pitches, but he retired the Dodgers in order. He had a four-seam fastball that went up to 98 miles per hour and a cutter that was over 92 mph.
Down in the minor leagues this season, Glover had a 2.18 ERA, 52 strikeouts, and six saves in 33 games with Potomac, Harrisburg, and Syracuse. With the 18-inning game on Sunday and Lopez not making it out of the fifth Tuesday, the Washington Nationals needed another bullpen arm.
With Sammy Solis on the disabled list, Glover is one of those pitchers that are intriguing to watch because of that fastball. Also, he could be a trade chip as the Washington Nationals try to make a trade before the August 1 trade deadline.
Next: Recap: Harper Hits 3rd Deck Home Run In Win Over LA
However, if Glover stays with the Nationals past August 1, he could be an asset to this bullpen down the stretch and be another arm that can dial up the fastball to the late 90’s in velocity to go with Blake Treinen and Rivero.
Speaking of Rivero, it was good to see him bounce back last night with two scoreless innings while giving up only one hit. This month, Rivero has not given up a run in five games and has held opponents to a .129 batting average.