ATTACK SUBS
Taylor, McKinstry fill in admirably for sidelined Bellinger, Betts in victory
LOS ANGELES » Dodgers manager Dave Roberts singled out center fielder Chris Taylor and right fielder Zach McKinstry as being “cut from the same cloth.”
Neither player is a star. They are versatile defenders who “just want to play,” Roberts said. Certainly, Taylor and McKinstry aren’t easily confused for the players they were replacing in the field Saturday — Cody Bellinger and Mookie Betts, the two former Most Valuable Players who are sidelined with injuries.
The replacements came through. A two-run single by McKinstry, followed by a three-run home run by Taylor, gave the Dodgers (7-2) an early lead en route to a 9-5 win over the Washington Nationals (1-4).
Pitching in front of fans at Dodger Stadium for the first time since Game 2 of the 2019 National League Division Series, Julio Urías held the Nationals at bay for the better part of 5 2/3 innings. He scattered nine hits, including the first of two home runs by Juan Soto. The left-hander struck out three hitters, surviving a battery of hard contact to improve to 2-0 in two starts.
McKinstry helped Urías with his arm, too. With runners on first and third base in the first inning, Starlin Castro hit a bloop single into right field. Soto scored on the play, but McKinstry threw out Ryan Zimmerman at third base to end the inning. It was the first outfield assist of McKinstry’s career.
In the bottom of the second, McKinstry lined a single between first and second base with the bases loaded. Two runs scored to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. The next batter, Taylor, pummeled a high fastball into left-center field, where it landed 429 feet from home plate. The three-run home run was Taylor’s first of the season.
Justin Turner went 2 for 4 with two doubles. He’s batting .424 through his first eight games. Max Muncy went 2 for 2 with a pair of walks. AJ Pollock hit a bases-loaded double in the seventh inning, driving in three runs.
The Dodgers were outhit, 15 to 9, but drew seven walks. Jimmy Nelson, Dennis Santana and Scott Alexander did not allow a run until the bottom of the ninth inning. Trea Turner was initially called out at first base by umpire Adrian Johnson on the back end of a double play, but the call was overturned on review.
That extended the game for Soto. Down to his final strike, Soto clubbed a tworun home run to right field, providing the final score.
The Dodgers will send Clayton Kershaw to the mound Sunday to face Max Scherzer with a possible series sweep on the line.