Instant Analysis: Dodgers 13, Nats 6
The Nationals' home opener turned into a dud when Miles Mikolas was battered for a club-record 11 runs
Optimism was high as the Nationals returned home following a better-than-expected, 3-3 road trip to begin the season. The sun came out, the pregame flyover was well-timed with the national anthem and when CJ Abrams launched a three-run homer in the bottom of the first, all was right with the world.
If only the Nats could have hit the pause button at that moment and let things stand right there. Alas, that’s not possible, and they were required by the laws of physics to play the rest of the game. And it did not go anywhere close to how they wanted. Miles Mikolas was battered around during the third, fourth and fifth innings, allowing 11 runs on 11 hits, four of them homers by Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Andy Pages and Freddie Freeman. The 37-year-old right-hander departed to boos in the top of the fifth, the home team having turned a three-run lead into a seven-run deficit.
The Nationals, who played a spirited brand of ball while the game was still competitive, had trouble sustaining that kind of enthusiasm while facing such a large deficit. Most everyone in the sellout crowd of 41,161 stuck around til the end, but they didn’t have much to cheer about after those first couple innings.
HITTING HIGHLIGHT: It feels like ancient history already, but the bottom of the first sure was fun, wasn’t it? James Wood got things started immediately by pouncing on Emmet Sheehan’s first pitch for a 109.8-mph double to right-center. Brady House drew a two-out walk to extend the inning. And then Abrams launched a three-run homer, turning on a high-and-away fastball and sending it soaring into the right-field bullpen. The crowd roared. The Nats led 3-0. And it felt like this had a chance to be a great day at the ballpark. Until ...
PITCHING LOWLIGHT: Mikolas actually looked sharp in his first two innings, retiring the first two batters he faced on 23 pitches and striking out both Ohtani and Max Muncy. Then he had to face that lineup again. And again after that. And the result wasn’t pretty. Ohtani and Betts each homered in the top of the third. Pages homered in the top of the fourth. And with nobody stirring in the bullpen yet, Mikolas retook the mound for the top of the fifth and promptly gave up a homer to Freeman. Three more batters came to the plate (two of them doubling) before Blake Butera finally pulled the plug. Mikolas departed to boos from the crowd with 10 runs having already crossed the plate, still responsible for one more runner on base. And when Gus Varland let that inherited runner score, Mikolas officially had been charged with 11 earned runs, setting a new Nationals club record nobody ever hopes to see matched.
NOTABLE: Freeman is now 9-for-22 with four homers and nine RBI in his career against Mikolas. Betts is 7-for-15 with three homers and five RBI. Ohtani is 7-for-14 with one homer and 4 RBI.
UP NEXT: The Nationals can only hope it gets better Saturday when they host the Dodgers in the second game of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m., with Jake Irvin facing fellow right-hander Tyler Glasnow. TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM
Paul Toboni can buy a ton of goodwill with the fanbase if he goes full Jeremy Guthrie and gets rid of Miles Mikolas asap.
Every Nat got a hit.
James Wood, Luis Garcia Jr, Daylen Lile, CJ Abrams, Brady House, Jacob Young(!), and Jorbit Vivas(!) recorded hard hits.
None of the pitchers involved in today’s game will be a National next year.
Dodgers still used 5 separate pitchers.
All runs given up were due to Mikolas and Mikolas alone. Defense played right; the worst defensive miscue was Daylen Lile not miraculously robbing a home run.
Small sample sizes suck, but this is already a better team.