The Nationals were back in action last night against the Dodgers in LA after a 6 to 1 loss in the series opener on Monday night. Jake Irvin took the mound against the Dodgers' RHP Tony Gonsolin, who entered the contest with a sub 2 ERA and lowered it to 1.77 before his night was over.
The Nationals had a few chances off Gonsolin throughout his 6 innings, but could not make much of it count as they only managed to score 1 run in the third inning thanks to 3 singles and a hit by pitch. This was more than enough room for the Dodgers to work with offensively, as their powerful lineup was on full display Tuesday night, tallying 9 runs on 13 hits.
For Jake Irvin, he allowed 4 runs on 8 hits with a walk and 3 strikeouts in his 5 innings of work. Some of the damage against him came from an unusual defensive alignment, which saw Lane Thomas in Centerfield and Joey Meneses in Right Field. Meneses did not look great in the outfield last season, and that continued last night with his season debut in the outfield.
Offensively, Meneses did manage an RBI single. In total, the Nationals managed 3 runs on 6 hits. Once again, they did not strike out much (only 4 times) and walked 3 times, but they weren't able to do much damage with the balls they put in play. They did however have 6 flyouts to the warning track that may have found their way into the stands on another summer night.
The one fly ball that did manage to find the seats was more of a line drive and came off the bat of Keibert Ruiz, who had barrelled a few baseballs recently with some bad luck. Ruiz finally got a hard hit ball to go his way with this 7th inning home run.
Up high ✋#NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/EKW3qzvM0d
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) May 31, 2023
Washington Nationals Record: 23-32
When is the next Nationals game?
The Nationals get one final shot at the Dodgers today as they will send Patrick Corbin (4-5, 4.88 ERA) to the mound against the Dodgers' RHP and former NL East foe Noah Syndergaard (1-4, 6.27 ERA). The Nationals will look to break their 3 game losing streak and avoid the sweep at the hands of the Dodgers before they return home on Friday to face the Phillies.