Nats hand Gonsolin his first loss of the season
LOS ANGELES » The Tony Gonsolin who led the major leagues in earned-run average, did not lose a game that counted, and pitched himself into position to start the All-Star Game, didn’t show up.
For four innings against the Washington Nationals on Monday at Dodger Stadium, Gonsolin did not allow a hit. Then he imploded.
The Nationals batted around against Gonsolin in the fifth inning, scoring four runs en route to an eventual 4-1 victory over the Dodgers.
The loss halted an eightgame winning streak by the Dodgers (64-30), sandwiched around the AllStar Game. They went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Their only run came on a solo home run by Trayce Thompson in the third inning.
Nationals slugger Juan Soto, who won the Home Run Derby here a week ago, had a big hit in Washington’s big inning, a tworun triple down the firstbase line. Gonsolin (11-1) also allowed a solo home run to Yadiel Hernandez in suffering his first loss of 2022.
Nationals starter Paolo Espino and three relievers practically dared the Dodgers to put the ball in play, filling the strike zone aggressively with all but the bendiest of breaking balls.
The Nationals’ Juan Soto, left, smiles after being forced out at first by Dodgers starting pitcher Tony Gonsolin.
At least the Dodgers had their chances. Trea Turner led off the fourth inning with a double to left-center field, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. He went to third base on a groundout by Freddie Freeman, but was stranded there.
In the fifth inning, Max Muncy lined a two-strike pitch to center field for a single. The next batter, Gavin Lux, lined a twostrike pitch the opposite way, putting runners on first and second with nobody out. More significantly, the consecutive hits knocked Espino out of the game.
On came right-hander Andres Machado (1-0). He started off Cody Bellinger with a pair of changeups for strikes, then reared back for the swinging
strikeout on a 95-mph fastball. Trayce Thompson drew a full-count walk, loading the bases. But Machado came back to freeze Betts on a 2-strike fastball down the middle. Turner stroked a fly ball sharply to right field to end the threat. That was the Dodgers’ best threat until the eighth inning, when singles by Turner and Lamb put a pair of runners aboard for Muncy.
Right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. snuck a looping curveball over the top of the zone for a key called strike on 1-and-1. Muncy didn’t like the call, and neither did the announced crowd of 48,647 umpires at Dodger Stadium. Then with a full count, Muncy swung awkwardly at a changeup for strike three, ending the inning.