Nationals’ offense runs dry in 5-3 loss to Dodgers

LOS ANGELES — Maybe that Nationals’ first-half offense remains with the club.

After looking listless for much of Friday, the Nationals found a groove in the ninth inning Friday night. They scored three runs and strung together solid at-bats, passing it along to the next hitter. That formula is one they followed en route to posting one of the best offenses in baseball in the first half of the season.

The Nationals scored their first run in 18 innings on Abimelec Ortiz’s ninth-inning single, a statistic that would have seemed unfathomable after the blistering first half. After James Wood’s RBI double put a scare in the Dodgers, closing the deficit to two, Andrés Chaparro just missed an extra-base hit that would have really put pressure on the Dodgers.

“Down five [entering the ninth], obviously knew it was a tall task,” manager Blake Butera said. “But to do what we did against those arms and get the tying run to the plate in a matchup that we liked, happy with the way we finished that game.”

But, after the trades of Curtis Mead and Luis García Jr., the lineup lost more than the explosive power that both of those hitters provided. It lost reliability. Though Mead didn’t have a lengthy track record of success, his top prospect pedigree coupled with the work he put into his approach suggested his steadiness wasn’t a fluke.

García, in the midst of the best season of his career, has the ability to do damage on pitches most hitters have no chance of reaching.

Without those two, the Nationals’ lineup is far more susceptible to elongated droughts. The front office prioritizing pitching could look like the right move in the future, but the present-day team is faltering. Faint wild-card dreams have turned into hopes of finishing strong to build momentum for next season after Friday’s 5-3 loss at Dodger Stadium.

The Nationals finished August tied for 27th in weighted runs created plus, 13th in runs and 24th in OPS. The raw runs total is a positive, but after leading in most offensive statistics throughout the season, it’s a step back. The offense’s decline also became more pronounced because of the pitching deficiencies. The bullpen leads the majors in blown saves, and the starting rotation outside of Cade Cavalli leaves a lot to be desired.

What made the Nationals so explosive and exciting was that sense of inevitability. No lead was safe because of the faith and belief throughout the lineup. That’s not to say this group has lost confidence in one another, but there are going to be more dry spells because of the younger players populating the lineup. But the team still believes in the players occupying spots once filled by lineup mainstays.

“I got a lot of trust in the guys behind me,” Wood said. “I mean, Chappy did his thing today. Just having guys like him behind me, having [All-Star CJ Abrams] behind me, I never really feel like I got to put any extra pressure.”

There were bright spots Friday. Chaparro and Brady House each recorded two hits, and Wood continued to look healthy as he works back into shape and regains his timing. Daylen Lile struck out twice but is coming off an August in which he posted an .898 OPS.

Friday was a brief glimpse of what the offense showcased for most of this season. To finish the season strong after a subpar August — a .379 winning percentage — the Nationals will have to recapture that magic.

“We know that August wasn’t our best, and that’s no news to anyone,” Chaparro said through an interpreter. “But, like I said, we’re coming here every day, working hard, and it’s a new month. We’re gonna go out and give our best, and hopefully things start going our way.”

This article has been updated.