Dodgers lose to Nationals, 5-2, as series evens; Game 3 is Monday at 1 p.m. PT at Dodger Stadium

The Nationals congratulate each other after their 5-2 victory.

(Patrick Smith / AFP/Getty Images)

Rich Hill was a different man the last time he saw Nationals catcher Jose Lobaton. It was three years ago. Hill was a reliever, clawing at the fringes of the sport, when Lobaton recorded his third hit in three at-bats against him. The two men would not meet again until Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park.

During the intervening years, Hill rebuilt himself into a left-handed artist, a pitcher the Dodgers were willing to mortgage multiple prospects to acquire this summer, a pitcher the team decided to trust for Game 2 of the National League division Series. He turned himself from a punching bag into a pillar.

But a transformation cannot override the danger of a hanging curveball.

In the fourth inning of a 5-2 loss, Hill watched his primary pitch float toward the plate. Lobaton delivered a hit far more concussive than his previous three against Hill. The three-run homer handed the Nationals the lead, blunted the momentum of the Dodgers and heightened the scrutiny on an offense that stranded 12 runners.

Up two runs when the ball left Hill’s hand, the Dodgers could not recover, and will fly back to Los Angeles with the series tied. There is little time to mourn. Kenta Maeda will throw Game 3’s first pitch at 1:08 p.m., with the schedule compacted by Sunday’s rainout, as the Dodgers confront a man capable of exploiting their offensive Achilles heel: Gio Gonzalez, a left-handed pitcher.

After mesmerizing the Nationals for three innings, Hill hung that curveball in the fourth and could not finish the fifth. Washington taxed him for four runs. Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy supplied insurance with an RBI single off Hill in the fifth and another in the seventh against reliever Grant Dayton.

Read More

TOP OF NINTH: NATIONALS 5, DODGERS 2

Mark Melancon fired three consecutive cutters inside to Corey Seager. Seager fouled off the first one, took the second for a ball, and grounded the third up the middle for an out.

Justin Turner took two called strikes on fastballs, passed on a fluttering curveball below the zone, fouled off two pitches, passed on another curve, then knocked Melancon’s seventh pitch into left field for a single. It was the Dodgers’ first hit in four innings against the Nationals’ bullpen.

Up next, Adrian Gonzalez struck out swinging on a fastball from Melancon. Josh Reddick represented the club’s last chance, and he harmlessly grounded out as the sold-out stadium of red-clad Nationals fans frantically waved their red towels.

So the Dodgers lost, 5-2, in another lengthy affair. The game took 3 hours, 55 minutes to complete, nine minutes longer than Friday night’s Game 1. Now even in this series, the teams will jet to Los Angeles and play Game 3 at 1 p.m. PT Monday at Dodger Stadium.

BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH: NATIONALS 5, DODGERS 2

Ross Stripling entered for the eighth and retired the Nationals in order. Ryan Zimmerman grounded out, and Danny Espinosa and Jose Lobaton each struck out swinging. Washington will send in their closer, deadline acquisition Mark Melancon, for the ninth inning. With a three-run lead, he’ll face at least Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez, with Josh Reddick and Yasiel Puig potentially following.

TOP OF EIGHTH: NATIONALS 5, DODGERS 2

Howie Kendrick struck out to begin the inning against Blake Treinen. With left-handed-hitter Andre Ethier on deck to pinch hit, Nationals Manager Dusty Baker called in left-hander Oliver Perez from the bullpen, and, again, Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts countered. Carlos Ruiz batted instead and tapped back to first base.

Chase Utley walked up to boos and grounded out to Daniel Murphy at second base.

The Dodgers have just three more outs. They trail by three.

BOTTOM OF SEVENTH: NATIONALS 5, DODGERS 2

Right-hander Josh Fields struck out Trea Turner and was then replaced by Grant Dayton. He struck out Bryce Harper, and then yielded a line-drive double to Jayson Werth. Werth earlier appeared to voice his displeasure to the umpires about a pack of pigeons gathered around second; they scattered when he reached the base.

Daniel Murphy batted next as the Nationals Park crowd chanted, “M-V-P.” He had reached base in his three previous plate appearances today. He again singled to left, scoring the Nationals’ fifth run. Dayton then struck out Anthony Rendon to end the inning. With the pitcher’s spot due up second, Andre Ethier figures to receive a pinch-hitting chance in the top of the eighth inning. The Dodgers trail, 5-2.

TOP OF SEVENTH: NATIONALS 4, DODGERS 2

The Dodgers went down in order against Nationals reliever Blake Treinen, who pounded the strike zone with sliders. Josh Reddick lined out, Yasiel Puig grounded out and Yasmani Grandal took three called strikes and complained to home-plate umpire Chris Guccione.

BOTTOM OF SIXTH: NATIONALS 4, DODGERS 2

Left-hander Luis Avilan made it three batters into the inning before Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts removed him for right-hander Josh Fields. Avilan retired two of those three.

With Ryan Zimmerman on second base, Fields struck out ex-Dodger Chris Heisey to end the inning.

The Dodgers have nine outs left. They must score at least two runs or lose.

TOP OF SIXTH: NATIONALS 4, DODGERS 2

With left-hander Marc Rzepczynski still on the mound, Charlie Culberson pinch-hit for Pedro Baez and flew out. Chase Utley then worked a six-pitch walk. Corey Seager fell into an 0-and-2 hole, then struck out after surviving two more pitches.

Utley stole second and took sizable leads, while Justin Turner batted next. When Turner walked, Nationals Manager Dusty Baker removed Rzepczynski for fellow left-hander Sammy Solis.

Adrian Gonzalez flew out to left field against Solis. The Dodgers have left 11 men on base. They trail, 4-2.

BOTTOM OF FIFTH, NATIONALS 4, DODGERS 2

Trea Turner singled on Rich Hill’s fourth pitch of the inning, stole second on his second pitch to Bryce Harper and threatened to take third thereafter. Harper tried to bunt, hit it foul and then whacked the 1-and-2 pitch into left field. The Nationals elected not to send Turner around third, though he is one of the fastest players in the sport and it appeared he had a great chance to score.

Jayson Werth next popped up to the mound, but Daniel Murphy again timed a curveball to deliver a sharp single into center field. Turner jogged home, and Harper scampered to third.

Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts removed Hill for right-hander Pedro Baez, the reliever he lavished praise upon this morning. Baez has struggled in postseasons past; Roberts said he doesn’t care. He deployed him successfully in Game 1 and again here, as Baez induced a short flyout from Anthony Rendon. Howie Kendrick caught it awkwardly in left field but fired home on target, and Yasmani Grandal tagged out Harper for the double play.

The Dodgers still trail, 4-2, through five innings.

TOP OF FIFTH: NATIONALS 3, DODGERS 2

Justin Turner led off with a first-pitch single. Adrian Gonzalez, up next, fell behind 0-and-2 and flew out. Turner then took third when Josh Reddick quickly followed with another first-pitch single.

That ended Washington starter Tanner Roark’s afternoon, as Manager Dusty Baker signed for left-hander Marc Rzepczynski to face Joc Pederson. Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts countered by pinch-hitting Yasiel Puig for Pederson. Puig walked on six pitches, bringing up Grandal in the same situation he faced two innings prior: the bases loaded with one out.

In the third, he grounded out into a double play. This time, he struck out, and Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So” blasted through the speakers at Nationals Park. Howie Kendrick next pinch-hit for Andrew Toles and took three balls to begin this at-bat. He lined a 3-and-1 fastball into left field, far enough for Jayson Werth to secure it.

Down 3-2, the Dodgers already have left nine men on base in this game.

BOTTOM OF FOURTH: NATIONALS 3, DODGERS 2

Rich Hill began the inning by walking Daniel Murphy on five pitches. Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman followed by flying out to right field. Hill then hit Danny Espinosa for the second time today. Up came Nationals’ No. 8 hitter Jose Lobaton as the potential go-ahead run. He had hit well against Hill in previous chances but grounded into a key double play with the bases loaded earlier in this game. This time, Hill hung a 1-and-1 curveball, and Lobaton launched it through the wind, five feet beyond the left-field wall, for a three-run homer. Tanner Roark popped out to end the inning as the crowd at Nationals Park stayed on its feet in celebration.

TOP OF FOURTH: DODGERS 2, NATIONALS 0

Andrew Toles, Chase Utley and Corey Seager grounded out, but interspersed was a Rich Hill bunt-single attempt that succeeded when Daniel Murphy fumbled the pickup. Hill advanced to second base but stayed stranded there.

Nationals starter Tanner Roark’s pitch count has reached 79 through four innings.

BOTTOM OF THIRD: DODGERS 2, NATIONALS 0

Tanner Roark struck out on three pitches. Trea Turner singled up the middle for his first hit of this series, then Bryce Harper struck out swinging on another vicious curveball from Rich Hill.

Jayson Werth, representing the Nationals’ last gasp of the inning, took a called third strike on the outside corner. It was, of course, another diving curveball.

Hill has struck out seven men in three largely dominant, scoreless innings, as the Dodgers continue to lead, 2-0.

TOP OF THIRD: DODGERS 2, NATIONALS 0

Corey Seager flew out, but Justin Turner walked and Adrian Gonzalez singled through to left field. Josh Reddick then timed a curveball and dropped it into right field. Turner scored, barely, on the play. Gonzalez took third and Reddick second, so the Nationals intentionally walked Joc Pederson, loading the bases with one out for Yasmani Grandal. After a lengthy mound meeting, left-hander Oliver Perez began to warm in the Nationals’ bullpen. But he sat down as soon as Tanner Roark induced an inning-ending double play.

BOTTOM OF SECOND: DODGERS 1, NATIONALS 0

Daniel Murphy jumped Rich Hill’s first-pitch curveball and knocked it for a single into center field. Hill then spotted a 2-and-2 fastball onto the outside corner — or perhaps a bit beyond it — to strike out Anthony Rendon. Ryan Zimmerman, up next, walked on five pitches, and Hill subsequently drilled Danny Espinosa with a fastball. Jose Lobaton, Washington’s backup catcher, then batted for the first time in this series. He tapped a first-pitch curveball back to Hill, who briefly bobbled it before flicking it home. Yasmani Grandal quickly threw to first for the inning-ending double play, preserving the Dodgers’ lead.

TOP OF SECOND: DODGERS 1, NATIONALS 0

Josh Reddick flew out. Joc Pederson singled through the middle, a foot past Daniel Murphy’s outstretched glove. Yasmani Grandal walked on five pitches to put a runner in scoring position for Andrew Toles.

With his fourth pitch, Tanner Roark hit Toles, and so the bases became loaded for Rich Hill. He struck out.

With two outs, Chase Utley approached. He tried to show that an 0-and-1 fastball had hit him on the forearm. Replays showed it had not. Three pitches later, Utley grounded out to end the inning, with the Dodgers retaining just the one-run lead.

BOTTOM OF FIRST: DODGERS 1, NATIONALS 0

Rich Hill struck out Trea Turner on a corner curveball, then screamed in excitement and pumped his arms.

Against Bryce Harper, he threw a fastball and three curveballs to notch another strikeout. And against Jayson Werth, he fired three fastballs, a curveball and one last fastball to strike out the side.

Hill skipped off the field. The Nationals touched just two of his 15 pitches with their bats, and one of those was a foul tip.

TOP OF FIRST, DODGERS 1, NATIONALS 0

Tanner Roark’s first pitch of this ballgame was a 92-mph fastball. Dodgers leadoff hitter Chase Utley swung at it and flied out to left field. Roark’s second pitch was another fastball that veered toward Corey Seager’s head. He got out of the way, watched two more balls pass him by, and then unloaded on another fastball, landing it in the right-field bleachers for a solo shot. He did the same in Friday’s first inning. Justin Turner grounded out; Adrian Gonzalez popped out; and Rich Hill ran out to begin his half of the game with a 1-0 lead.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Kenta Maeda’s initial travel plans, tied as they were with the Dodgers’, were altered by Game 2’s postponement because of rain that never came. So the first questions the right-hander and Game 3 starter received upon entering Nationals Park’s news conference room at 10:15 a.m. Sunday were simple: When was he leaving for Los Angeles?

“Immediately after this press conference,” he said.

Maeda’s flight is the only part of his schedule altered. He’ll still start Monday at Dodger Stadium, either at 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. Pacific, depending on the two American League Division Series games Sunday.

The teams are still dissecting how the change affects them. Because the Dodgers’ Game 2 starter, left-hander Rich Hill, is starting Sunday and not Saturday, he will not be able to start another game on regular rest in this series. That may in turn force his team to save Clayton Kershaw for a potential Game 5.

Right-hander Tanner Roark will start today for Washington. The Nationals’ manager, Dusty Baker, posited Sunday that the postponement helped him, since he reached a career-high in innings during the regular season. He was also never likely to be their fifth-game choice, because they plan to hold Max Scherzer out of a short-rest start in Game 4.

So, which team will gain the advantage from Major League Baseball’s decision?

“Oh, I don’t know,” Baker said. “You don’t know until tomorrow. It depends on if there’s any rain delays today. At least we’re going to the hotel and they’re going home.”

Sunday’s first pitch is scheduled for 10:08 a.m. Pacific. If the game continues uninterrupted, the teams could arrive in Los Angeles at about 9 p.m.

Sixteen or 18 hours later, they will resume the series, and then potentially play on a third consecutive day Tuesday. The Dodgers have said they would start rookie left-hander Julio Urias in that Game 4. Nationals right-hander Joe Ross is considered their probable starter, but the team has not made its choice public.

“I’d like to give you the starter,” Baker said Sunday morning. “But I can’t. Because of injuries, we’re kind of upside down in our pitching. Do we go to a combination of guys? Do we go with Ross, coming off an injury himself? Depends on how far he can go. ... If I could give you a definitive answer, I’d love to. I’d love to give it to myself.”

Members of the grounds crew try to keep water off the tarp Saturday before Game 2 of the National League division series was postponed.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

As he walked through the Dodgers clubhouse on Saturday afternoon, Yasiel Puig spotted a crowd of reporters surrounding Rich Hill, the team’s starter for Game 2 of the National League division series.

“Nice game!” Puig said. “Seven innings. That’s OK.”

Hill managed a grin. An evening of rain brought by Hurricane Matthew postponed Hill’s first postseason start in nine years, one he hoped would deliver his team a two-game lead.

The Dodgers and Nationals wanted to avoid a day wrecked by the rain, but the forecast mutated as first pitch approached, and Major League Baseball chose to reschedule Game 2 for Sunday afternoon.

Read More

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw confers with catcher Yasmani Grandal during Game 1 of the NLDS on Friday.

(Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

Once again Friday night, a Clayton Kershaw pitching performance was highlighted by familiar buzz words.

Slider, curveball, and A.J. Ellis.

As Kershaw survived five rocky innings in the Dodgers’ 4-3 victory over the Washington National in the opener of a National League division series, there was as much talk about his traded catcher as his pitches.

Isn’t it obvious how much Kershaw misses his baseball soulmate Ellis? How could the Dodgers have dealt someone so important to the best pitcher on the planet? And, really, why was Yasmani Grandal coming to the mound so much?

Read More