Washington Nationals drop 10-1 decision to Los Angeles Dodgers: Tyler Anderson tosses eight scoreless in D.C.

Adon vs LA:

Joan Adon got through 4 ²⁄₃ innings in an 84-pitch outing on the road in loanDepot park last week, holding Miami’s hitters to five hits and one earned run while he was on the mound in what ended up a 5-1 loss which left him (1-7) in eight starts, in which he’d posted a 6.38 ERA, a 5.47 FIP, 23 walks (5.65 BB/9), 31 Ks (7.61 K/9), and a .261/.380/.444 line against in 36 ²⁄₃ IP.

It was an improvement over his previous start, and provided another example of both the talent he possesses and the work which remains for the 23-year-old right-hander.

“He’s hard not to like,” GM Mike Rizzo told 106.7 the FAN in D.C.’s Sports Junkies last week.

“He’s throwing 96-98 as a major league starter at 23 years old with a good breaking pitch and a developing changeup, so there’s a lot to like about him.”

Four pitches into tonight’s game there were runners on second and third, after Mookie Betts singled to left and Freddie Freeman doubled to right to start the game, and Betts scored on a Trea Turner groundout to second, 1-0, before Freeman scored on a two-out RBI single off of Will Smith’s bat, 2-0.

Adon tossed scoreless frames in the second and third, and retired the first two batters in the fourth on three pitches, but a two-out walk to Cody Bellinger and RBI triple to right by Chris Taylor later it was 3-0 in the Dodgers’ favor.

A second two-out walk, this one to Gavin Lux, put two on in front of Mookie Betts, who hit a fly to right Juan Soto lost in the lights, and couldn’t catch after he found it. Two runs scored on the (mis)play, which was ruled a double for Betts, 5-0.

That pattern repeated itself in the fifth, unfortunately, with Adon retiring two batters on four pitches, then issuing a two-out walk, to Will Smith this time, before giving up a single out to right field by Max Muncy, and an RBI double to center by Cody Bellinger, 6-0.

That was it for Adon...

Joan Adon’s Line: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 4 Ks, 92 P, 58 S, 4/4 GO/FO.

Mr. Anderson Comes To Washington Or Something:

After two appearances out of the bullpen to start his 2022 season, Tyler Anderson took the mound as a starter in five appearances heading into tonight’s series opener in D.C., and he started the night with a 4.55 ERA, a 4.58 FIP, five walks, 26 strikeouts, and a .275/.302/.551 line against in 27 ²⁄₃ IP as a starter this season.

He hadn’t allowed a walk in his previous two outings. He didn’t allow a hit through 5 ¹⁄₃ innings tonight. (And didn’t allow a walk in this outing either).

Anderson took the mound for start No. 6, and his 9th appearance this season, with a 2-0 lead, and retired the first nine batters he faced.

He came out for the fourth with a 5-0 lead, and set down three more for 12 in a row to start the night.

It was 6-0 when he came out in the fifth and set down three more, in a second-consecutive seven-pitch frame which left him at 50 pitches overall with 15-straight retired, and got 16 in a row with the first out in the sixth, before César Hernández doubled to left-center for the first hit of the game for the home team. Alcides Escobar followed with the second, but a double-play grounder off Lane Thomas’s bat ended the inning. Six scoreless for Anderson. 10-pitch frame. 60 total.

Juan Soto and Josh Bell hit one- and two-out singles off Anderson in the home-half of the seventh, for the Nationals’ third and fourth hits off the Dodgers’ starter, and a single off of Yadiel Hernández’s bat loaded the bases with two down, but Maikel Franco hit a soft liner over towards first where Freddie Freeman caught out No. 3 of Anderson’s seventh scoreless frame.

A 16-pitch eighth, in which he struck out the side, ended Anderson’s outing after 101 total pitches in eight scoreless frames...

Tyler Anderson’s Line: 8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER,0 BB, 8 Ks, 101 P, 77 S, 4/5 GO/FO.

Bullpen Action:

Austin Voth came on for Joan Adon with two on and two out in the fifth, and got out No. 3, then he returned to the mound in the top of the sixth and gave up a single by Gavin Lux, a walk to Mookie Betts, and an RBI double off the top of the out-of-town scoreboard in right by Freddie Freeman, 7-0, and 9-0 on a two-run single by Trea Turner.

Erasmo Ramírez retired two batters in the seventh, then gave up a single by Gavin Lux, hit Mookie Betts, and surrendered an RBI single by Freddie Freeman, 10-0.

Paolo Espino gave the Nationals two scoreless innings to keep them within a touch down, extra point, and field goal, or something.

Nelson Cruz doubled off Phil Bickford with two out in the eighth and scored the only run of the game for the Nationals on an RBI single by Josh Bell. Perfect game, no-hitter, and now a shutout avoided. 10-1 Dodgers final.

Nationals now 14-29