WASHINGTON (Interstat) — The Los Angeles Dodgers unleashed a powerful offensive display Friday afternoon, defeating the Washington Nationals 13-6 at Nationals Park. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages all homered for the Dodgers, who amassed 16 hits. Washington’s CJ Abrams hit a three-run homer in the first inning, but the Dodgers responded with five runs in the third, two in the fourth and four in the fifth to pull away. The Dodgers improved to 5-2. The Nationals fell to 3-4. Emmet Sheehan earned the win for Los Angeles. Nationals starter Miles Mikolas took the loss. Attendance was 41,161.

WASHINGTON (Interstat) — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ offense, held in check for much of their previous series, erupted for 16 hits in a commanding 13-6 victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday afternoon at Nationals Park. A crowd of 41,161 watched as the Dodgers, after falling into an early three-run hole, unleashed a relentless barrage that included four home runs and five multi-run innings to decisively outpace the Nationals. The most important sequence of the game arrived in the top of the third inning, a decisive five-run outburst that immediately erased Washington’s early momentum and set the tone for the remainder of the contest. After a quiet start against Nationals starter Miles Mikolas, the Dodgers’ lineup came alive. Teoscar Hernández led off with an infield single and Andy Pages worked a walk. Following a strikeout, Shohei Ohtani stepped in and launched a three-run homer to right-center field, his first of the season, to tie the game. The rally was far from over. Kyle Tucker followed with a single, bringing Mookie Betts to the plate. Betts then powered a two-run shot to left-center, his second of the year, to cap the inning and give the Dodgers a lead they would not relinquish. That five-run third transformed a 3-0 deficit into a 5-3 advantage and signaled the beginning of a long afternoon for Washington’s pitching staff. Mikolas, the losing pitcher, bore the brunt of the damage. He lasted only four innings, surrendering seven runs on eight hits, including three home runs. His record fell to 0-2. The Dodgers continued their assault on the Nationals’ bullpen, adding two more runs in the fourth on a two-run homer by Pages and four in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run blast from Freddie Freeman. Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan, credited with the win to move to 1-0, weathered a rocky first inning to provide five innings of work. He allowed four runs on seven hits, with all the damage coming on CJ Abrams’ first-inning, three-run homer that had initially staked Washington to a 3-0 lead, and an RBI single by Abrams in the third. The Dodgers’ offensive depth was on full display. Every starter except one recorded at least one hit, with Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, and Pages each driving in multiple runs. Kyle Tucker added a solo homer in the seventh, and Ohtani tacked on a sacrifice fly in the ninth to complete the scoring. Washington managed 11 hits but struggled to cluster them outside of the first and eighth innings. After Abrams’ early heroics, the Nationals were held scoreless from the fourth through the seventh innings. They pushed across two runs in the eighth on an RBI double by Keibert Ruiz and a run-scoring groundout by Jacob Young, but the deficit was too large to overcome. The victory improved the Dodgers’ record to 5-2 as they opened a six-game road trip. The Nationals fell to 3-4, having lost three of their last four games. The teams are scheduled to continue their three-game series on Saturday afternoon. The final score easily surpassed the projection of National Statistical’s game simulator, which had predicted a 6-5 Dodgers win. The combined 19 runs sailed over the pregame over/under line of 9, though the Dodgers covered the spread as 1.5-run favorites. Los Angeles will send a pitcher to the mound against Washington’s in Saturday’s matchup.

Preview: Dodgers at Nationals, April 3, 2026 WASHINGTON (Interstat) — The Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals, both coming off extra-inning losses Wednesday, look to start a new series on a positive note when they meet Friday afternoon at Nationals Park. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. EDT under cloudy skies with temperatures near 57 degrees. The Dodgers (4-2), after taking two of three from Arizona to open the season, dropped two of three at home to Cleveland, including a 4-1 loss Wednesday. The Nationals (3-3) arrive home after a split of a six-game road trip, falling 6-5 in 10 innings at Philadelphia on Wednesday. The series opener features a compelling pitching matchup between Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Nationals right-hander Cade Cavalli. Yamamoto (1-1, 3.00 ERA) seeks consistency in his third start. He earned a win against Arizona on March 26, allowing two runs over six innings with six strikeouts. His last outing was a tough-luck loss to Cleveland, where he gave up two runs over six frames but received minimal offensive support. Cavalli (1-1, 3.86 ERA) looks to build on a strong performance in Philadelphia, where he yielded just one earned run over six innings. His season debut against the Cubs was shorter, lasting 3 2/3 innings with two runs allowed. Offensively, the Dodgers’ lineup, quiet in the midweek series, aims to rebound. The Nationals’ attack, which erupted for 13 runs Monday, is led by shortstop CJ Abrams, who hit a three-run homer Wednesday. According to National Statistical’s game simulator, this contest projects as a high-scoring affair, with a predicted final of Dodgers 6, Nationals 5. Following Friday’s game, the teams continue the three-game set Saturday and Sunday before both embark on extended road trips.