Intent on getting his season on track, Washington Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin will visit familiar surroundings on Tuesday night.
When he faces Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium, the outing will give Corbin (0-2, 8.44 ERA) his most appearances at a venue he has never called his home park.
Once a member of the Dodgers’ National League West rival Arizona Diamondbacks, Corbin will make his 15th outing at Dodger Stadium, but just his fourth there since 2019. In those previous 14 outings, he is 3-6 with a 4.46 ERA. The last win in L.A. came in 2019, and the most recent one before that was in 2013.
Corbin has given up at least four runs in all three of his starts this season. He is coming off an outing on the road against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday when he gave up a season-high seven runs on 11 hits over 5 2/3 innings.
Some shaky Washington defense did Corbin no favors, but the veteran also was unable to finish off Giants scoring threats when he had the chance.
“I don’t think we got to (the slider) as much as the plan was,” Corbin said. “But they were aggressive throughout. You try to execute and get some weak contact. Sometimes they fall in, sometimes they don’t. It just wasn’t our day.”
Adjustments have been required by the Nationals since.
On Monday, left-hander Mitchell Parker was promoted and was impressive in his major league debut, giving up two runs on four hits over five innings and earning the win in the team’s 6-4 victory. Washington infielder Nick Senzel made his season debut after recovering from a fractured thumb and went 1-for-3 with a walk.
The Dodgers also made a roster move Monday as right-hander Ricky Vanasco was recalled to the major leagues for the first time and added to the bullpen. He went two scoreless innings in his debut. Right-hander J.P Feyereisen was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
According to reports, Los Angeles right-handers Landon Knack and Kyle Hurt are expected to be recalled, possibly as early as before Tuesday’s game.
The Dodgers have not decided on a starter for Tuesday or Wednesday against the Nationals, with Knack expected to start one of those games and Hurt expected to help on a bullpen day in the other game.
“Those guys mix and match, and we’re going to try to figure out what gives us the best chance to win,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Roberts did hint that a bullpen game could come Tuesday.
“(Ryan) Yarbrough is going to pitch (Tuesday), we know that,” said Roberts, who did not specify if the appearance from his left-hander will come in a starting role or to pick up bulk innings behind an opener. “We have to make a pitching move, but I don’t know (it) yet. We’ll talk through it tonight.”
Despite three MVP winners at the top of their lineup, the Dodgers have lost four of their past five games. The MVPs — Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman — went a combined 3-for-12 with four strikeouts Monday.
Freeman is 5-for-20 over his last five games, with no RBIs.
