Oh man! It was great to be at a the stadium last night (Tues., April 16), especially after the low-energy Jackie Robinson Day debacle!

Mookie Betts killed with three singles and two doubles. He was on fire! Kyle Hurt made his first start at Dodger Stadium, and did great, getting out of a rocky start in the 1st with no damage on the scoreboard. Then Ryan Yarbrough relieved Hurt and gave up two runs in the 3rd, bringing the score to Dodgers 3-Nationals 2. The following four innings, however, Yarbrough was perfect, while the Dodger offense tacked on two more runs. A really good energy, a major-league-debut base hit for newcomer Andy Pages, and a bomb of a homer from Kiké Hernández. Great night all around, giving me hope for winning the series.

MY SCORECARDS
GAME 20: Dodgers 6-Nationals 2

But, alas, low energy and absent offense plagued the Boys in Blue on Wednesday afternoon, and we lost that one (along with the series) in a 2-0 shutout.

That’s two series in a row that the highest-paid team in baseball has lost to sub-.500 teams. Sure, we have a great lineup, batters out our ears, but with starters on the IL and inconsistent relievers, we are right back where we were last year in the playoffs. Hitting will only take us so far. We need arms, and plenty of them. We need to be able to count on at least one pitcher in the rotation.

GAME 21: Nationals 2-Dodgers 0

On the paper ticket front, I’m still waiting for a call from the Dodgers to see if there’s a way to resolve the issue, other than them holding a gun to my husband’s head to force him to get a smartphone.