Dodgers starting pitcher Landon Knack throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night in Washington. Knack earned his first major league win in the 11-2 victory. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani puts on his protective equipment during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jake Irvin throws during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the Dodgers at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani waits to bat during the first inning of the team’s game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hits a double against the Washington Nationals during the first inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani stands on second base after his double during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani runs home on a single by Will Smith during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The Dodgers’ Max Muncy celebrates with Shohei Ohtani, who scored against the Washington Nationals during the first inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is congratulated after scoring during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers starting pitcher Landon Knack throws during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
The Dodgers’ Andy Pages, left, and Gavin Lux, center, celebrate with teammate Shohei Ohtani after scoring in the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stands in the dugout before their game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani prepares to bat during the fourth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani flies out during the fourth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani reacts after he flied out during the fourth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The Dodgers’ Max Muncy hits a double in the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
The Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernández discusses a call with home plate umpire Larry Vanover during the fifth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams catches a pop-up hit by the Dodgers’ James Outman during the fifth inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The Dodgers’ Gavin Lux hits a two-run single during the fifth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The Dodgers’ Max Muncy slides into home plate and scores in the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
The Dodgers’ Will Smith, left, and Max Muncy, who scored, return to the dugout and are congratulated by teammate Andy Pages, right, during the fifth inning of their 11-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night in Washington. The Dodgers had eight doubles and a Pages home run among their 20 hits. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani prepares to bat during the sixth inning of their game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. ( AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani prepares to bat during the sixth inning of their game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. ( AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani prepares to bat during the sixth inning of their game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. ( AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The Dodgers’ Will Smith hits a single in the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
The Dodgers’ Andy Pages hits a home run in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
The Dodgers’ Andy Pages, left, celebrates with Shohei Ohtani after hitting a home run in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
The Dodgers’ Andy Pages (84) celebrates his solo home run against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning of a game at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. The Dodgers won, 11-2. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Mookie Betts hits a double in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani pulls his glove off as he walks to the dugout during the eighth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. The Dodgers won, 11-2. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani drives in a run with a double — his third of the night — in the ninth inning of their 11-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night in Washington. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani watches his RBI double during the ninth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. The Dodgers won, 11-2. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani celebrates his RBI double during the ninth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. The Dodgers won, 11-2. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani scores during the ninth inning of the team’s game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. The Dodgers won, 11-2. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani walks off the field after the team’s game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. The Dodgers won, 11-2. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gives a thumbs-up after the team’s 11-2 win in a game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani enters the dugout for the team’s game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON — As George W. Bush once malapropped – fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice … won’t get fooled again.
Last week at Dodger Stadium, right-hander Jake Irvin held the Dodgers scoreless for six innings in a Washington Nationals victory. Getting a second look at Irvin on Wednesday night at Nationals Park, the Dodgers roughed him up on their way to collecting 20 hits (including eight doubles) in an 11-2 rout of the Nationals.
The Dodgers got offense from top (Mookie Betts had four hits and Shohei Ohtani had three doubles) to bottom (Andy Pages had three hits, including a home run) in their third consecutive win. But Gavin Lux might have needed his share more than anyone. He had two hits – his first multi-hit game since March 30 – and drove in two runs (doubling his season total of RBIs).
“Obviously we all want to perform and put up good numbers and help the team win. But realistically, you got to take a process-oriented approach when you miss a year and a half full of at-bats,” said Lux, who missed all of the 2023 season following a major knee injury during a spring game. “So it’s tough, but you’ve just got to keep grinding. You have no other option anyways. So just keep putting in the work in the cage and hopefully it will eventually translate. That’s all you can really control.”
The distance between Lux and his days as a hot prospect tearing through the Dodgers’ farm system has grown long, stretched out by a season lost to a major knee injury and a .148 start in his comeback this season.
But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gave the still-young infielder a vote of confidence before Wednesday’s game, saying it’s too soon to overreact to a slow start or cut Lux’s playing time. Anything less than 150 plate appearances is not “a fair gauge,” Roberts said.
“Definitely getting results helps,” Lux said of his own attempts to be patient. “Just trying to build equity in the season where you’re getting hits, and then you can kind of grow from there. I think that helps a lot. But yeah, you definitely want results. When you’re just grinding away in the cage all day and you don’t get it, it’s tough. But you just got to keep going with it.”
The Dodgers managed just four hits in those six scoreless innings against Irvin last week at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers’ first 10 hitters topped that hit total in their second look at Irvin, who took his lumps this time, giving up 12 hits before Nats manager Davey Martinez came to get him in the fifth inning.
“I think obviously, just the second look we understood what his ball does a little bit more,” Roberts said. “I think with the lefties it kind of cuts in on you a little bit. There’s a little cut to it, even with the righties the fastball glove side. It just wasn’t as crisp as it was a week ago. And that’s gonna happen.
“Last start he was making pitches, borderline pitches for strikes and getting ahead, and tonight I just think he didn’t command it as well as he did that first time around.”
The Dodgers scored in the first inning when Ohtani doubled and scored on Will Smith’s two-out RBI single. In the second inning, Lux lit the fire with his first single. Pages followed with a double and both scored on Betts’ single.
Smith doubled and scored on Max Muncy’s RBI single in the third and the Dodgers knocked Irvin out of the game with Lux’s two-out, two-run single in the fifth.
“That was a back-breaker for them,” Roberts said. “Irvin was on his way to getting out of that inning after there was stress. So Gavin with the hit in the four-hole was huge.”
Meanwhile, rookie starter Landon Knack did a much better job than Irvin of repeating his half of their matchup last week.
In that one, Knack gave up two first-inning runs in his major-league debut then retired 10 consecutive batters, finishing five innings with just that early damage.
Dodgers break out with home runs from Shohei Ohtani, Andy Pages in rout of Mets
This time, he lost touch with the strike zone in the second inning, loading the bases and walking in a run after giving up a second-inning home run to Nick Senzel. But he retired the final 13 batters he faced, finishing six innings with no further damage to claim his first major-league win.
“It’s figuring out what the fix is quick,” Knack said. “I was just missing off the edges. I’m a guy who really needs to be basically north-south with everything so I was just trying to figure out how to get back over (the plate) instead of trying to be too perfect, especially with the slider and changeup. Just trying to figure it out and execute quick.”
The Dodgers put the game away with two runs in the eighth on back-to-back doubles by Betts and Ohtani after a solo home run by Pages and scored three more in the ninth – featuring another double by Ohtani, who leads the majors in hits (39), extra-base hits (21), batting average (.371), slugging percentage (.695), OPS (1.128), doubles (14) and total bases (73).
“There’s no more words that can really be said about him,” Betts said of Ohtani. “I mean, I have the same words you guys have. When it comes to Ohtani, I can’t really speak on it. Nobody can really do what he does.”
