LOS ANGELES — As soon as once more, a Hollywood second was created at Uniqlo Discipline at Dodger Stadium.
This time, it belonged to Mookie Betts.
For seven innings Sunday evening, the Dodgers seemed like a group trying to find the model of itself that had carried it by a lot of the season.
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Then Betts stepped to the plate.
With two outs within the eighth inning and the Dodgers trailing 5-4, Alex Name singled to middle. Tommy Edman adopted with a stroll, bringing Betts to the plate with two runners aboard.
On the second pitch he noticed, a 90-mph fastball disappeared into the left-field pavilion.
Betts’ 18th house run of the season flipped the sport, giving the Dodgers a 7-5 lead and offering the decisive blow in a comeback victory that accomplished a three-game sweep of the Nationals.
Mookie Betts flips the rating. That was the story of the evening.
“An enormous second, glad I got here by. It is enjoyable,” Betts mentioned.
The Dodgers held on from there, with Edgardo Henriquez closing out the ninth inning for his second save of the season. The 7-5 victory gave the Dodgers its fourth consecutive win and improved its file to 86-57.
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For a group that had endured stretches lately the place issues didn’t fairly seem like themselves, the Dodgers all of the sudden seem like themselves once more.
They’re now simply 1½ video games behind the Brewers for the very best file within the Nationwide League and keep a one-game lead over the Braves for the No. 2 seed.
And maybe most significantly, they hold discovering methods to win.
Over the previous two nights, the Dodgers have gotten late go-ahead three-run homers from two completely different gamers. Edman delivered Saturday. Betts adopted Sunday.
“Each evening it is somebody completely different. I believed we have been gonna break by; I actually did,” Dave Roberts mentioned.
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It was the sort of evening the Dodgers have turn out to be accustomed to producing, even when getting there was something however routine.
A tough inning modifications every little thing
The Dodgers opened the scoring within the third inning when Max Muncy got here round to attain on a grounder from Betts, with Edman advancing to second.
However Washington answered.
CJ Abrams led off the fourth inning by launching a house run to middle, tying the sport at 1-1. It was Abrams’ thirtieth homer of the season and continued an unwelcome pattern for Justin Wrobleski.
Justin Wrobleski #70 of the Los Angeles Dodgers stroll off the sector through the sport in opposition to the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium on September 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Ric Tapia – The Sporting Tribune
Justin Wrobleski #70 of the Los Angeles Dodgers stroll off the sector through the sport in opposition to the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium on September 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
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Wrobleski was making his first begin since Aug. 15 and entered having allowed a house run in every of his earlier 4 begins.
The evening began promisingly. He struck out six batters by the primary three innings.
Then every little thing unraveled.
The Nationals scored 4 runs within the fourth, and after Jacob Younger’s RBI hit, Roberts had seen sufficient. He went to the bullpen with out Wrobleski recording an out within the inning.
Wrobleski’s remaining line: three innings, eight hits, 4 earned runs, one stroll and 6 strikeouts on 73 pitches, 50 for strikes.
By June 30, Wrobleski had a 2.71 ERA. Since then, that quantity has climbed to six.00.
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Nonetheless, he wasn’t taken with trying too far forward after the sport.
“It is irritating to surrender the 4 runs there. It is disappointing; it is all of the issues, however there’s some encouraging stuff in there. We obtained the win, in order that’s all that actually issues,” Wrobleski mentioned.
The Dodgers would wish each little bit of that bullpen effort.
Miller returns
The sport additionally marked the major-league return of Bobby Miller, who made his season debut after a protracted highway again.
Miller entered within the sixth inning and instantly confronted hassle, loading the bases. However as a substitute of permitting the inning to spiral, he restricted the injury.
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Dylan Crews was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing house Washington’s solely run of the inning.
Bobby Miller #28 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws to first base through the sport in opposition to the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium on September 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Ric Tapia – The Sporting Tribune
Bobby Miller #28 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws to first base through the sport in opposition to the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium on September 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Miller escaped with only one run allowed.
“To get out of there with one run, with how my stuff was trying on the market, I would say that is a great day,” Miller mentioned.
He completed with three innings, permitting one run on one hit whereas strolling two and placing out two. Extra importantly, he earned his first major-league victory since Aug. 29, 2024.
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After 16 months away, Miller admitted there have been moments when he doubted whether or not at the present time would come.
Now it has.
“I am grateful that I obtained my shot,” Miller mentioned.
The Dodgers hold answering
The Dodgers slowly chipped away. Edman delivered one other massive hit within the fifth, lining an RBI double that scored Muncy and lower into the lead.
Will Smith adopted with an RBI single to middle, scoring Edman. Then Teoscar Hernández tied the sport at 4-4 with an infield single.
However the Nationals’ answered once more, taking a 5-4 lead and placing the Dodgers ready the place one swing may change every little thing.
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The Dodgers had an opportunity within the seventh when Smith led off with a stroll. However Freddie Freeman, Hernández and Kyle Tucker adopted with three consecutive strikeouts.
The chance was gone. Or so it appeared. Then got here the eighth.
Name singled. Edman walked. And Betts did what stars are imagined to do.
He took the fastball and despatched it hovering into the pavilion.
Three runs. One swing. A 7-5 lead.
And one other Hollywood ending.
The Dodgers accomplished the sweep, their second consecutive evening that includes a late three-run homer to show an in depth sport right into a victory.
At 86-57, the Dodgers moved in the correct path at precisely the correct time.
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The Dodgers will now welcome the Cincinnati Reds to Uniqlo Discipline at Dodger Stadium for a three-game sequence starting Monday, the ultimate sequence of their nine-game homestand.
And, in accordance with Roberts, Shohei Ohtani is predicted to be again within the lineup.
“My expectation is that he’ll be within the lineup tomorrow,” Roberts mentioned.
He’ll be batting leadoff. However Sunday evening belonged to Betts.
When the Dodgers wanted a Hollywood second, their star delivered one.
