Mookie Betts hit a go-ahead three-run home run with two outs in the eighth inning and rallied the host Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-5 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday night to move 1 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in the major leagues.
Betts hit a 1-0 fastball into the left field seats off Will Dion for his 18th home run of the season and finished with four RBIs.
Tommy Edman had an RBI double among his two hits and scored two runs for the Dodgers (86-57), while Max Muncy had three hits and scored two runs one day after he was out of the lineup with an illness.
Bobby Miller (1-0) pitched three innings to earn the win in his season debut and Edgardo Henriquez earned his second save as Los Angeles extended its winning streak to four games and finished 6-0 against Washington this season.
The Dodgers played without designated hitter Shohei Ohtani for a fourth consecutive game because of left knee and right biceps discomfort. Edman has occupied the leadoff spot in each of the past four games.
CJ Abrams hit his 30th home run and Harry Ford had a two-run double for the Nationals (67-78), who lost their fourth consecutive game.
Nationals left-hander Andrew Alvarez gave up three runs on four hits over 4 1/3 innings in a hometown start. Alvarez grew up 25 miles southeast of Dodger Stadium in Los Alamitos. Dion (1-2) went two innings in relief.
Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Muncy doubled, went to third on Edman’s infield single and scored on a groundout from Betts.
The Nationals powered in front with a four-run fourth. Abrams led off with a home run off Justin Wrobleski to reach the 30-homer plateau for the first time in his career.
Brady House and Daylen Lile singled in front of a two-run double from Ford. Jacob Young followed with an RBI single as the first five Washington batters reached base in the inning.
Los Angeles tied it 4-4 in the fifth on Edman’s RBI double along with RBI singles from Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez.
The Nationals loaded the bases in the sixth inning and Dylan Crews was hit by a Miller curveball for a 5-4 lead.
–Field Level Media
