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Recap: Justin Turner, AJ Pollock Homer; Dodgers Defeat Nationals Behind 9-Run Inning

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers rallied against the Washington Nationals bullpen for nine runs in the seventh inning of a 10-5 comeback victory that extended their winning streak to seven games. It’s the second-longest stretch for L.A. this season, trailing a pair of eight-game winning streaks.

The Nationals collected their first hits of the game when Starlin Castro and Yan Gomes combined for a single and double to open the bottom of the second inning. A ground ball to Justin Turner took an odd hop and so too did his throw to first base.

It got by Max Muncy, allowed two runs to score and Victor Robles to end up on third base. He then scored on Humberto Arteaga’s sacrifice fly.

Urias didn’t allow the Nationals to create any more separation, which kept the Dodgers in the game against Max Scherzer.

Turner was the biggest thorn in Scherzer’s side, which included a leadoff home run in the fourth inning to get the Dodgers on the board. Scherzer collected eight strikeouts and allowed four hits — two of which were by Turner — over six innings.

The Nationals’ bullpen imploded in their attempt to protect the lead, though the downfall began with Castro failing to make a play on Albert Pujols’ slow chopper. Pujols not only reached with one out in the seventh inning but Chris Taylor scored from third base.

Mookie Betts gave the Dodgers a lead on a two-run single that came with the bases loaded and Muncy extended it by plating two on a jam-shot past a drawn-in infield.

Chris Taylor added to the lead with a two-run base hit in his second at-bat of the inning, and AJ Pollock capped off the huge rally with a two-run home run in what was also his second plate appearance in the frame after pinch-hitting.

Garrett Cleavinger ran into some trouble with one out in the eighth inning, which led to the Nationals scoring a run. Brusdar Graterol, fresh off being recalled to replace Trevor Bauer, inherited two runners and saw the bases loaded when his first pitch resulted in catcher’s interference.

An inning-ending double play followed and Graterol allowed an unearned run in the ninth before finishing out the game.

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Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com