Dodgers vs. Nationals Game Highlights (4/5/26) | MLB Highlights

From Washington D.C. the rain has cleared out and we're ready for baseball. The final game of this three game series on Easter Sunday. The Dodgers go for the sweep over the Nats. They hand the ball to Roki Sasaki for his second start of the year. Yeah the first one was a step forward coming out of spring training but it wasn't his best and what he needs to do is throw more strikes. First pitch strikes 50% and then overall zone percentage just barely over 40%. He's got great stuff. He needs to throw strikes. It's the 30 year old from Orlando Florida Foster Griffin. Yeah Foster Griffin making his second start of the year. Yeah he's won a no already with a five inning appearance. Five hits against the Phillies. He was fantastic. Kohei Otani digs in for his first at bat. The 2-2 to Otani. Swung on and missed. A sweeper from Foster Griffin to set down Shohei for out number one. Went away in his first inning. Miguel Rojas starts at shortstop for the first time this year. Got him. Splitter diving from Griffin. Two K's to start his outing. Here's Teoscar Hernandez two outs nobody on in the first inning. Got him. Cutter from Griffin who starts his first home outing as a national with a perfect top of the first. So for Sasaki who admitted after last start that he went into the game without any confidence. One run over four innings. The two walks the key part because he had walked about two batters per inning during spring training. Nassim Nunez stands in. Nassim Nunez sounded like a busted bat. A flare out to right center. All the way back on balls. Nassim a wide turn. Freeland throws in behind him. But a one out single for Nas. Dalen Lyle is the batter. And Nunez runs. Pitches a strike. The throw is off the glove of Rojas the shortstop on a short hop. Well the catcher rushing and Nassim Nunez in there safely with his fourth stolen base in four tries. Breaking pitch rolled off of the hands to first. Sasaki to the bag and he's got to score his first inning. Much more around the strike zone right there than he was against Cleveland. Takes it upstairs for ball four. Back to back walks. The Dodgers with a threat here in the second. Griffin in the five innings that he pitched against the Phillies in that first start this year did not walk a single batter. Ground ball to CJ's backhands. The shortwave for one. And Nunez holds the bag. Well done on both ends there. As the Nationals get the trail runner. Ball cut down at second. And they're at the corners with two away. Well what a great play by CJ Abrams and Nassim Nunez. Both guys getting after backhand side. Get a grip. And just get there and stretch. Two out now. Runners on the corners. And Dalton rushing. The Dodgers catcher will stand in. Duke rounds one over to Nassim. Foster Griffin's going to get out of the second unscathed. A little tougher go around in the second than the first. But he puts up another zero. Weaver 10 for 17 in the five games he's played. That's a 588 average. Sasaki kicks and deals. Strikes him out. Sharp slider right there. One away. Base is empty. One away. CJ Abrams comes up. Been a Dodger killer. He's been an everybody killer so far this year. Leading the majors with 12 runs batted in. Sasaki gets him on three pitches. First strikeout on a nasty slider. This strikeout with a nasty splitter. Alex Fran will lead it off against left-hander Foster Griffin. Did he go? Yes, he did. Home plate umpire Willie Traynor says so. One out. Base is empty. Ohtani to bat. Hammered to center field. Shohei Ohtani. Got that sound. And then it flew out of here to start the scoring. His second home run of the year. His first was to right field here. This one to center field. The team's 14th of the year to lead the majors. So back-to-back singles. And here's Freddie Freeman coming to the plate. Swing and a fly ball. Shallow left. Racing in Daylon Lyle. Now calling for it. He makes the catch. Moving straight in toward the infield near the line. So that's a big out there for Griffin retiring the dangerous Freeman. But now you face a guy who's actually swinging at the best in their lineup. And Andy Pahez. Got him. Struck him out with the curve balls. Griffin gets the strikeout. His fifth. He's able to strand a couple of Dodgers. And James takes ball four. So the second walk issued by Sasaki so far. Luis Garcia Jr. having a nice series. He'll bat with two down. Swing and a long drive. Right center field for Garcia. Way back this one goes. Looking up his call at the wall. And it's good. He rows in over the big road. And right center field. Luis Garcia Jr. with his first of the season. Gives the Nationals a 2-1 lead. You'd be the judge of the command on this pitch. He wants it back. These are the kind that leave your hand and they go. Especially if they follow them back or take them. But when they swing at them and they're right down the middle up. It gets real juicy for a hitter. Now Dalton rushing. And we have a violation here for a strikeout. In an 0-2 count. Dalton rushing called for a violation. And that ends the inning. So for Griffin that's an interesting way to get your sixth strikeout. Here's C.J. Abrams. Pitch. Three walks for C.J. in the last game and a half. And he's aboard with one out. Throw down by rushing. Tag applied in time. They got him on the lower half. The Nationals are going to take a look. Challenge. They're going to challenge it. Fired it up the line and he's safe for sure. And Dom Merlino in the Nationals video room. On point. Nailed it. Jorbie Bebas walked his first time up. Sasaki strikes him out. One more out to go. Quebert Ruiz. Quebert a check swing off the bag. And over for the Nationals as Abrams comes in. It's 3-1. We end the inning with a pitch clock violation. They have a runner steal second that's bang, bang. Safe by inches. And then you get a ground ball that hits the bag that costs you an RBI. Eight and nine in the Nationals lineup. Back-to-back hits with two away. Something the Nationals did really well on their season opening road trip. Hit with two outs. And here's Wood. This is a huge third out. This guy could turn this into a little bit of a laugher if he goes deep. So I'm doing him a favor here. Throw something with some spin on it. Wow. On a two-strike pitch. Put it on a tee. Pajes to the wall. It's gone. And there it goes. Seats for a three-run home run for James Wood. It's the Nationals. Six. The Dodgers won. When you make a mistake like that, you're going to pay. Now it's a relay. For nine hitters. Switch inning. Second baseman. Next offering. Swung on. Bounce. Past the mound. Nunez crosses over to the left side. Oh, a bounce. Throw in. Ty Nunez. On a ball that looked like it was going to be an easy play for the shortstop. Abrams up the middle. With the speed of Freeland. Nunez has unbelievable range. Crossed to the shortstop side. And then whipped a cross-body throw in time for the out. Here's Ohtani. Digs it out. Down the line. That's a fair ball. Into the corner. Second extra base hit of the ballgame for Ohtani. A double here in the fifth. So now the Dodgers have runners first and second two out. And Freddie Freeman coming up. Freeman a line drive out to right. But right there is James Wood who makes a late adjustment to snag it. And keep the Dodgers off the board in the fifth. Luis Garcia Jr. leading off this time. A wave and a miss. Strike three. That is strikeout number four in this game. Got a chase. And has back-to-back strikeouts here in the fifth. Ropes one to left field. Another hit. Call. Sprints for second. He'll get there. Walk. Single. Double for call. And that will have call at third with two outs here in the sixth inning. Here's Rushing. Called out. Pitchcock violation for strike three. Rushing lifts a fly ball to deep right field. Wood running back. Onto the track. At the wall. There it goes. Rushing's first home run of the season. Has the Dodgers back in this game. That is both ends of the spectrum. From one at bat to the other. A Pitchcock violation strikeout. To a two-run homer. And a six-three game. Ohtani climbs in leading off the seventh. The Dodgers trail six-three. Ohtani grounds it fair. Inside the bag. And Luis will tap the bag for the first out. Good choice. Nunez on Garcia coming up. Garcia drills a ball to center field. Pajes running back. He makes the catch. Andy Pajes ranging all the way to the warning track. And with a leaping grab, he's got Garcia. Back here at Nationals Park. Top of the eighth. Six-three Nationals. Line drive. Base hit. Right center. Lead off hit. Freddie Freeman. So it's a start here in the eighth. Andy Pajes. One of his first quiet days of the year. He's got to walk, but he struck out twice. And hits. We got a challenge. We got it for you. To third. And it's by Bebas. Into the left field corner. There's that sound that you said he still had time to make. Second and third. Nobody out. He's got a hanging, breaking ball. He's been chasing some ones away. Chasing ones down in the dirt. But this one stays up. And he is all over it. Four-pitch walk to load him up. Base is loaded. Nobody out. Tie and run on base. Go ahead and run at the plate in the form of Espinol. Espinol. Cranks one. Left center field. That's down. It is not in time. Two-run score. Six to five. Big smile from Santiago Espinol. It's a one-run game. Espinol drives in a pair. And the Dodgers have something special cooking in the eighth. Tucker into the on-deck circle. Four-pitch walk to load him up. The bases are loaded. And, Moe, there's nobody out. Utero goes to the righty here for Tucker with Otani on deck. Bounces one right side. Backhand Garcia goes to second one. No throw to first. And the game is tied. Six to six. They've come all the way back from down six to one. Perfect chance for the Dodgers to take the lead. And guess who's coming to home plate? Number 17, Shohei Otani. Into the left center field. Wiener on it first. Now peels back with Lyle who makes the catch. But it's plenty deep enough to bring home Espinol. The Dodgers have taken the lead. Six unanswered. And they lead seven to six in the eighth. Last of the eighth inning. The Nationals now trailing seven to six. Dodgers coming back from a six-one deficit. CJ, a soft line drive out to left center. That's falling fast and down for a base hit. So good speed aboard for the Nats leading off the eighth as they try and answer back. Got him. Will was hoping for a little bit lower and maybe more back foot. But this ball is sharp. Slightly up. And he finally threw one for a strike and got away with it. And the air to left field. Teoscar Hernandez with the win. Ensuring that that's not too much of an adventure. Makes the catch. Just have three more outs to get some insurance runs. Starting with Teoscar Hernandez. Driven in the air to left center field. Does it have enough to get through the wind? It sure does. Teoscar Hernandez. Big-time strength right there. Powering that ball through the wind for his first home run of the year. A trend continues if this scoreboard holds. The Dodgers have now out-homered the Nats. And that would make them 6-0 when out-homering their opponent. Edwin Diaz in his first season with the team. Giving it a sure thing at the back end. Hooked to right field. That is the ball game. The Dodgers come back from down 5 to win at 8-6 and sweep the Nationals.