Los Angeles Dodgers (28–13) starter, Tyler Anderson, pitched eight shutout innings, as the team won against the Washington Nationals (14–29) by ten runs at Nationals Park to maintain a half game lead in the National League West.
Anderson improved to 5–0 on the season since signing with the Dodgers on March 18 on a one-year contract for $8 million.
“This team is all about winning,” said Anderson. “Every player on this team has their own routine. They go about their business their own way. Everyone’s a professional, we show up ready to play every day. It’s just fun being a part of that.”
The Dodgers are the fifth team for the veteran 32-year-old LHP from Spring Valley High School in Las Vegas.
Anderson pitched for the Oregon Ducks before being drafted as the 20th pick overall by the Colorado Rockies in 2011.
University of Oregon coach George Horton had said that he has never coached a more competitive pitcher than Anderson. In response, Anderson said, “Baseball is a game I love, and and the only thing you can do out there is compete ... because you want to win.”
With two pitchers on the injured list, Clayton Kershaw and Andrew Heaney, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated, “You have to give credit to Tyler to come into this situation where he was essentially out of the bullpen and buying into what we asked of him if something were to happen.”
“It’s been big because I don’t know where we would be without him,” added Roberts.
Anderson threw 77 strikes out of a total of 101 pitches, while throwing an efficient 60 pitches through six innings. He retired the first 16 batters in five innings before César Hernández hit a one-out double in the sixth, and he would eventually give up five hits through eight innings.
“I was just trying to fill up the strike zone and get ahead,” said Anderson. “Throw strikes and force guys to put the ball in play early.”
Phil Bickford would come in the ninth inning to finish the game, relieving Anderson and giving up two hits and the solo run.
“He’s [Anderson] been huge for us,” said Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner. “The last two games, he has just been eating innings and we really need that to save the bullpen, and those good quality starts from him have been huge.”
Turner received a warm ovation from the fans in Washington, where he played seven years with a batting average of .296 beginning in 2015 to .388 in 2016, along with 182 stolen bases. His career average is .345, including being traded to the Dodgers on July 30, 2021.
Turner hit the first of his three RBIs of the game, on a groundout to second baseman Hernandez, scoring Mookie Betts and sending Freddie Freeman to third base.
Will Smith immediately followed with a single to center field scoring Freeman for a 2–0 start in the first inning against Nationals starting pitcher Joan Adon (1–8).
The Dodgers finished with 12 hits to the Nationals’ eventual 7—and the top of the order continues to produce, with Freeman, last year’s Silver Slugger and Babe Ruth Award winner, leading the way with three hits, two RBIs, and and two runs, raising his batting average to .310.
“We just want to do our jobs really well,” said Freeman. “When Mookie sets the tone and gets a hit, I just try and be aggressive to get him over, and Trea drives him in a lot. It’s just nice to get it going early. We want to score runs fast to help the pitchers settle down.”
Freeman’s defense was also on display on a ball hit by Maikel Franco, making an outstretched leaping catch while sprinting backwards toward the outfield from first base.
It ended Washington’s sole threat to score on Anderson in the seventh inning, as the Nationals had loaded the bases with two outs.
Right fielder Betts added two hits and two RBIs, as well as SS Gavin Lux with three runs on two hits. Every Dodger in the lineup had a hit with the exception of DH Edwin Rios on five attempts, and substitute 2B, Hanser Alberto, who was 0-for-1.
The two teams play Tuesday, May 24, at 7:05 p.m. ET with Dodgers RHP Walker Buehler (5–1, 2.89 ERA) pitching against Nationals RHP Josiah Gray (4–3, 4.36 ERA).
