Los Angeles scored four runs in the seventh, off six Washington pitchers, and held on with some clever bullpen maneuvering from manager Dave Roberts in a decisive 4-3 win in Game 5 of the NLDS.
The Dodgers advance to the National League Championship Series, with Game 1 Saturday in Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs.
The Nationals season comes to an end yet again in the first round of the playoffs. It was the third time in the past five years that the Nats have been eliminated in the NLDS after winning the National League East.
Washington starter Max Scherzer didn’t allow a hit until the fifth, then got out of that inning after L.A. strung together three base hits, but left the bases loaded.
He lasted into the seventh, but was chased after surrendering a leadoff homer to Joc Pederson.
Washington manager Dusty Baker couldn’t dial up the right answer in the top of the seventh, needing six pitchers to get the three outs, around an RBI single by pinch-hitter Carlos Ruiz, and a two-out, two-run triple by Justin Turner.
Chris Heisey hit a pinch-hit two-run homer with no outs in the bottom of the seventh, and Roberts responded by bringing in closer Kenley Jansen, who pitched out of a first-and-third, one-out jam, striking out Jayson Werth, intentionally walking Daniel Murphy and then striking out Anthony Rendon.
The seventh, all told, lasted an hour and six minutes.
Washington mounted one more rally, in the ninth, getting a pair of one-out walks to Bryce Harper and Werth.
Roberts lifted Jansen in favor of ace starter Clayton Kershaw, who induced a popup out of Murphy, then struck out pinch-hitter Wilmer Difo to end it.
Scherzer put up a nice stat line – giving up a run on five hits in six-plus innings, striking out seven and walking two.
Marc Rzepczynski was charged with the loss, walking the only batter he faced, Yasmani Grandal, immediately after the Pederson homer. Grandal came around to score on the Ruiz RBI single off lefty Sammy Solis.
Julio Urias got the win with two innings of scoreless relief. Starter Rich Hill only went two and two-thirds innings, giving up a run on three hits, striking out six and walking two.
Danny Espinosa put the Nats ahead in the second with an RBI single to right to score Murphy, and the game remained 1-0 into the marathon seventh.
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Chris Graham
