Freddie Freeman launched a high fly ball that right fielder James Wood jogged toward before stopping in his tracks. Freeman hoped the ball would stay fair. Miles Mikolas, the pitcher who’d just thrown it, hoped for anything but.
It was the fifth inning of a blowout. Mikolas had suffered enough against the two-time defending champs. But the baseball landed in the blue seats just inside the foul pole in right field. Freeman jogged around the bases. Mikolas, meanwhile, collected himself after allowing his fourth home run of the game in the Nationals’ 13-6 loss to the Dodgers.
Mikolas allowed a club-record 11 earned runs in his second outing with the team; nine came on homers. And the Nationals fans who filed into Nationals Park for the team’s home opener Friday left disappointed.
Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts hit a three-run homer and two-run homer, respectively, in the third inning. Andy Pages added a two-run blast in the fourth. Freeman’s followed in the fifth.
Before first pitch, the Nationals’ pitching approach was on display in the clubhouse. Some of the televisions showed MLB Network or ESPN. Others had a rotating series of slides about pitching priorities for the team’s staff.
Five stats quantified by a percentage appeared on screens with a detailed description of what they meant on the left side. On the right side, the screen displayed where the Nationals’ pitchers ranked in those respective stats. Pitchers at the top of the chart were in green. Those toward the bottom were in red.
Some stats displayed were familiar. Others were a bit more detailed. Manager Blake Butera said the Nationals wanted his players to understand what they do well and what the organization prioritizes. Even still, as the Nationals attempt to reorganize their franchise, Friday’s performance was a reminder that these new changes won’t immediately result in wins.
The Nationals are still in the process of developing at the major league and minor league levels. Mikolas, the 37-year-old righty who the Nationals signed to a one-year, $2.25 million deal this offseason, was brought in to fill in the gaps in the meantime.
In the top of the first inning, CJ Abrams found himself in a crucial moment, with two runners on and two outs. Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan threw a four-seam fastball outside of the zone. Abrams pulled it for a three-run homer that pushed Washington ahead 3-0.
The Dodgers scored five runs in the third, then Abrams hit an RBI single. Washington tacked on two runs in the eighth inning but the Dodgers’ damage against Mikolas made any comeback essentially insurmountable.
One of the stats displayed on the screen pre-game was whiff percentage, a common metricused to explain the percentage of swings and misses. Mikolas only earned seven whiffs on 40 swings (18%) Friday afternoon. The Dodgers put 12 balls in play against Mikolas that came off the bat at 95 mph or higher.
Teoscar Hernández had the final one, a double that sent Mikolas to the dugout. Tucker added an RBI single off Gus Varland. Two innings later, Tucker launched a ball off Ken Waldichuk that headed toward the seats. Neither had to wonder where it’d land.