Mookie Betts hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-5 victory over the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium, completing a three-game sweep. According to MLB.com, the victory on Sunday night marks the fourth consecutive win for Los Angeles, bringing their record to 86-57.
Eighth-Inning Rally Secures Sweep
Trailing 5-4 heading into the eighth frame, the Dodgers mounted a decisive comeback. Nationals left-hander Will Dion retired the first two batters of the inning before Alex Call singled and Tommy Edman drew a walk, according to MLB.com. Betts followed by launching a 1-0 fastball over the left-field fence for his 18th home run of the season, driving in four runs on the night and turning a one-run deficit into a 7-5 lead.
“We try not to have a switch because a switch doesn’t really work that way,” Betts told MLB.com after the game. “It needs to be our identity, and so I think we’d like for it to be our identity, and playing good ball all the time.”
Reliever Edgardo Henriquez shut the door in the ninth inning, striking out or retiring the side to earn his second save of the season and seal the sweep. Washington fell to 67-78 with the loss, extending their losing streak to four games.
Defensive Gems and Bullpen Resilience
The eighth-inning heroics were set up by crucial defensive plays earlier in the frame. Leading off the top of the eighth, Washington’s Harry Ford drove a deep ball to right field that appeared destined for extra bases, but Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker made a leaping grab at the wall to rob a home run, according to MLB.com.
“I think it’s a huge momentum-builder right there,” said right-hander Bobby Miller, who was pitching at the time. “It’s a big sigh of relief.”
Miller made his 2026 major league debut after spending most of the season on the injured list due to right shoulder soreness, as reported by MLB.com. Despite struggling with his command in the sixth inning and allowing a run on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to Dylan Crews, Miller settled down to pitch scoreless seventh and eighth innings, earning his first winning decision since August 29, 2024.
Washington’s Mid-Game Surge
The Nationals seized control earlier in the contest during a four-run fourth inning against Dodgers starter Justin Wrobleski, according to Yahoo Sports. CJ Abrams opened the frame with his 30th home run of the season. Brady House and Daylen Lile followed with consecutive hits, leading up to a two-run double by Harry Ford and an RBI single by Jacob Young.
Wrobleski struggled through the frame, continuing a difficult second half where his ERA climbed past seven in post-All-Star appearances, as noted by Yahoo Sports. Los Angeles responded in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI double from Tommy Edman and run-scoring singles from Will Smith and Teoscar Hernández to tie the game 4-4 before Washington briefly reclaimed the lead in the sixth.
Manager Dave Roberts kept Shohei Ohtani out of the starting lineup for the fourth consecutive game due to ongoing left knee and right biceps soreness, relying instead on Edman to man the leadoff spot while the team successfully navigated the series finale.
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