James Wood hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh inning, and the Washington Nationals held off a late rally to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Monday night at Nationals Park. The win marked Washington’s third straight victory and handed Los Angeles its third loss in four games following an 8-0 start of the season.
The Dodgers entered the series opener as clear road favorites, with most sportsbooks setting the moneyline around -175. The Nationals were listed as underdogs at +150. The run total was projected at 8.5, a mark narrowly exceeded by the final score in a game that featured timely hitting and several lead changes.
Shohei Ohtani stood out at the plate for Los Angeles, finishing 3-for-4 with a home run, triple, single, walk, and two RBIs. His solo efforts kept the Dodgers competitive throughout, but the Nationals ultimately came up with the key hits late.
The game was tied at 2-2 after Ohtani launched a two-run home run to right field in the third inning off Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore. It was Ohtani’s fourth home run in 12 games and highlighted a strong early showing for the Dodgers’ offense. He later added a triple in the fifth inning, his first of the season, when his deep drive bounced off the wall in right-center beyond the reach of center fielder Dylan Crews.
Washington regained the lead in the bottom of the third with an RBI single by Nathaniel Lowe. Gore settled in after the Ohtani homer, completing six innings while allowing two runs on five hits. The left-hander struck out seven, walked one, and threw 100 pitches, 58 of which were strikes. Gore improved to 1-1 on the season and has 25 strikeouts through his first three starts.
The Nationals extended their lead in the seventh inning against Dodgers reliever Anthony Banda. With one out and a runner on, Wood, batting leadoff for the first time this season, sent a 395-foot home run over the center-field wall for his second of the year. Keibert Ruiz followed with an RBI double off Matt Sauer to increase the lead to 6-2.
The Dodgers responded in the eighth inning with run-scoring singles by Mookie Betts and Will Smith, cutting the deficit to 6-4. Kyle Finnegan was called upon to protect the two-run lead and recorded the final five outs of the game. Finnegan stranded two runners in scoring position in the ninth, retiring Betts on a game-ending groundout to earn his fourth save of the year.
Dodgers starter Dustin May took the loss and dropped to 0-1. He allowed three runs, only one of them earned, over six innings, giving up three hits while walking three and striking out one. He retired the final 11 batters he faced, keeping the Dodgers within striking distance.
The series continues Tuesday night with Los Angeles scheduled to start left-hander Justin Wrobleski, making his season debut in place of injured ace Blake Snell. Washington will counter with rookie right-hander Brad Lord, who will make his first major league start after allowing two runs in a relief appearance earlier this season.
