Nationals rally late, overcome homers by Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger to beat Dodgers

Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz, the über prospects the Dodgers traded a year ago to acquire Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, were the Washington Nationals’ battery Tuesday night.

Watching them toil for the last-place Nationals in an 8-3 win over the Dodgers, the questions were obvious although the answers are not. At least not yet.

Which team won the deal? Or was it a wash?

At the time, it looked like a steal for the Dodgers. But they didn’t reach the World Series and Scherzer didn’t re-sign. Turner, a free agent after this season, is playing at an MVP level, but wouldn’t the Dodgers need to win the 2022 World Series for the trade to be worth giving up arguably their top two prospects?

Gray, a starting pitcher with electric stuff, strikes out more than a batter per inning and gives up less than a hit per inning. Ruiz, a switch-hitting catcher, is solid defensively and makes contact at a high rate from both sides of the plate. Both are under team control through 2028, cornerstones of the Nationals’ rebuilding plan.

Yet they have a significant blemish: Gray gives up too many home runs. Ruiz doesn’t hit enough of them.

Gray has been touched for a staggering 42 home runs in 167 2/3 career innings. Mookie Betts greeted him with a 404-foot blast to center field in the first inning Tuesday — the 14th time in 18 starts this season Gray has surrendered a home run — and Cody Bellinger hit a soaring drive to right on the first pitch of the fifth inning.

Betts thwarted a Nationals’ scoring threat in the fifth when he threw out Victor Robles at the plate on Josh Bell’s two-out single, but defense hurt the Dodgers in the eighth. The inning began with second baseman Gavin Lux making a throwing error, and Luis García homered against reliever Garrett Cleavinger with two out to give Washington a 4-3 lead.

Cleavinger was called up from triple-A before the game to give what manager Dave Roberts called “a fresh arm.” Roberts stayed with him in the ninth, but the Nationals scored four insurance runs.

Ruiz, meanwhile, has only three home runs in 310 plate appearances. He doesn’t strike out much but too often makes weak contact on pitches out of the strike zone.

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts blows a kiss toward the crowd after hitting a solo home run as Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz watches during the first inning on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Regardless of their longball shortcomings, Roberts holds both players in high regard.

On Gray: “I like Josiah a lot. What stands out is the fastball, it’s a unique fastball. It’s a low arm slot, there is rise and there is a slider in there.”

On Ruiz: “Keibert is going to be a really good player for a long time. The main thing for him is to take on the catching duties and get familiarized with the pitchers.”

The Dodgers and Nationals might work another mega-trade ahead of this year’s Aug. 2 trade deadline. Washington is considering offers for superstar Juan Soto and the Dodgers have the enticing young players to swing a deal.

If that should occur, the Dodgers ought to win another World Series or three before Soto could become a free agent after the 2024 season. And the Nationals ought to successfully rebuild around the plethora of prospects.

Anything less from either team, and winner and loser should be easy to determine.

The Nationals extended their lead off the Dodgers and Garrett Cleavinger in the top of the ninth. Lane Thomas walked and Victor Robles singled to left to put runners at first and second. Cesar Hernandez sacrificed. Juan Soto was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Josh Bell hit a sacrifice fly to center. Nelson Cruz doubled, scoring both runners. Phil Bickford replaced Cleavinger. Keibert Ruiz singled home Cruz. Luis Garcia lined to short.

The Dodgers went in order in the bottom of the ninth.

Final score: Nationals 8, Dodgers 3

Garrett Cleavinger, just up from the minors, comes in to pitch the top of the eighth. Josh Bell reached first when he hit a simple ground ball to second and Gavin Lux non-chalanted the ball over to first for an error. The throw was soft and wide. Cleavinger struck out the next two and should have been out of the inning. Instead, Luis Garcia got to bat and he homered to right to give the Nationals a 4-3 lead.

Cody Bellinger led off the bottom of the fifth with a home run that just squeaked in inside the foul pole in right. Trayce Thompson singled to left. Mookie Betts grounded to third. Thompson was running on the pitch and reached second. Trea Turner singled to short. First and third, one out. Freddie Freeman flied to center, scoring Thompson and giving the Dodgers the lead. Will Smith flied to right.

Score after five: Dodgers 3, Nationals 2

The Dodgers were red-hot and swept four games from the San Francisco Giants, so naturally they struggle against the lowly Washington Nationals.

Victor Robles led off the first against Mitch White with a single. He moved to second on Cesar Hernandez’s single. Juan Soto hit a long fly ball that just curved foul, then grounded out, with the runners moving up. Josh Bell grounded out, scoring Robles. Yadiel Hernandez singled, scoring another run. Former Dodger Keibert Ruiz grounded to third.

Mookie Betts led off the bottom of the first with a homer. Trea Turner struck out. Freddie Freeman flied to left. Will Smith grounded to third.

Score after one: Nationals 2, Dodgers 1

Left-hander Andrew Heaney will make his fourth start of the season and first since June 19 when he takes the mound against the Nationals on Wednesday

Heaney made two highly effective starts at the beginning of the season before missing two months with a sore left shoulder. His return lasted only one start, when again he was dominant yet reinjured the shoulder.

In 15-1/3 innings over three starts, he’s given up one run while striking out 23. His ERA is 0.59.

Manager Dave Roberts said Heaney would be restricted to about 75 pitches Wednesday. Heaney has made only two appearances against the Nationals in his nine-year career, giving up four runs in seven innings.

Several weeks ago, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made it clear that valuable utility man Chris Taylor would play only outfield the rest of the season because of concerns about his right elbow, which was surgically repaired during the offseason.

Then Taylor went on the injured list July 5 with a fractured foot, and now is about to go on a minor league rehab assignment.

Will he play only outfield or will he mix in some second base? Have the Dodgers changed their stance?

“We have in the sense that a lot of it was driven by the elbow and giving it time to heal up,” Roberts said. “We just feel like he can handle the different arm angles from the infield and outfield, so having him taking grounders in the infield gives us more options.

“I just don’t think there is a lot of downside as far as having Chris getting re-familiarized with second base.”

And if the Dodgers acquire Juan Soto at the trade deadline, Taylor wouldn’t have an outfield spot. Reminded of that possibility, Roberts laughed and said, “That’s right.”

The Dodgers loaded their lineup Tuesday with five left-handed batters against Nationals starter Josiah Gray, a former top Dodgers prospect who was traded to Washington a year ago along with catcher Keibert Ruiz for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner.

Three of the first four Dodgers batters are right-handed, with Mookie Better and Trea Turner followed by left-handed hitting Freddie Freeman and Will Smith.

Then come four left-hander hitters in a row: Jake Lamb, Max Muncy, Gavin Lux and Cody Bellinger. Right-handed hitter Trayce Thompson will bat ninth.

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Juan Soto and Trea Turner both used the word “crazy” Monday afternoon.

For Soto, crazy that he could be traded by the Washington Nationals before the Aug. 2 deadline.

To Turner, crazy that the Dodgers seem to be one of his potential — and maybe most likely — landing spots.

“I don’t know if I can recruit,” said Turner, a former teammate of Soto’s on the Nationals until getting dealt to the Dodgers last year, “but I’m a Dodger, and hopefully he’s a Dodger as well.”

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