Corbin struggles in delayed debut, Nats fall to Dodgers (updated)

Patrick Corbin talked about the benefits of getting stretched out and admitted that his sinker lacked its usual bite. If not for the fact that he was facing the defending world champion Dodgers, he could have been critiquing a spring training start where pitchers are more focused on getting their work in than anything results-oriented.

Corbin got his pitches in, totaling 80 and pitching into the fifth inning of his 2021 debut for the Nationals on Saturday night. But the left-hander struggled with location and the Dodgers teed off on him for six hits and drew three walks, getting the early offense they needed to post a 9-5 victory.

"I actually thought he threw the ball well," manager Davey Martinez said in his postgame Zoom session with reporters. "I mean, he had the one rough inning with the walks (in the second), but the ball was coming out. Right now, the big thing is we have to try to get him stretched out. He went five innings and threw 80 pitches and I feel good about it."

With Corbin's first outing delayed by placement on the COVID-19 injured list, Martinez found his No. 3 starter working in his team's fifth game. The southpaw knows what he needs to work on and sounded as if Saturday provided a starting point in a season that has started, stopped and restarted again.

"I think it was good to get extended and get up to 80 pitches," Corbin said. "I thought that was a positive out there. I don't think I had my best stuff. Was missing a little bit there, had those three walks in a row there. Maybe being a little too fine. But for the situations and everything that we had to deal with, I feel all right. Just hoping to move on from this, get on a normal schedule here and be ready to get back out there in five days and be ready to go."

Juan Soto hit his first two homers of the season, driving in three runs, but the Nats lost their fourth straight game despite totaling 15 hits - 13 of them singles. Soto's second blast came after he fouled a ball off the top of his right foot, causing him to hobble around for a few minutes. Martinez said he was getting treatment after the game.

At times Saturday night, Corbin looked like he was in command; at times, he looked every bit like a pitcher who hadn't pitched since March 28 against Grapefruit League competition (save for a 45-pitch simulated game on Wednesday at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Va.). His first start of the season was delayed by his placement on the COVID-19 injured list, and Corbin was activated for Saturday's start, a day after he took a charter flight from D.C. to Los Angeles to rejoin the Nats.

"I thought at some times tonight I was a little rotational and just missing glove-side to a lot of those lefties," Corbin said. "The homer, the two doubles that I did give up were sinkers down and away that kind of cut on me. It just seemed like I was inconsistent on some of those pitches tonight. ... I didn't feel my slider was as sharp tonight as it normally is."

For the night, Corbin lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Targeted for 75 pitches in his debut, Corbin threw 80 pitches, 48 for strikes.

Corbin was staked to a 1-0 lead on Starlin Castro's RBI single in the top of the first - a run that ended a string of 16 scoreless innings by the Nats - and breezed through the bottom half of the inning, needing just 12 pitches to dispatch the Dodgers in order. The inning ended on a pitch the left-hander turned over for a strike to Justin Turner, who waved at the offering and followed with a curious stare to the mound.

But things didn't go so well for Corbin in the second, when he slogged through 32 pitches and looked like he was battling his command mightily. He walked the bases loaded before Gavin Lux grounded sharply to third for a fielder's choice force at home. Zach McKinstry followed with a two-RBI single to right, and after Julio Urías grounded to first, Chris Taylor homered deep to left field, the three-run shot making it 5-1.

"Obviously, there was ... a hiccup in the second inning, but you saw that he settled in and he started keeping guys off-balance," said catcher Yan Gomes, who was behind the plate for the first time this season after spending time on the COVID-19 injured list. " ... It was good to see him settle in. He definitely got stronger as the game went on, which is definitely a positive sign."

Corbin settled down a little over the next two innings, getting out of a jam in the third on a double play grounder, but he had already hit 70 pitches by the time the fourth inning ended. But he struck out the side in the fourth and got Taylor leading off the fifth. Corbin then allowed a single to Corey Seager and a run-scoring double to Turner, and his night was done.

Urías, who at one point gave up four singles in a stretch of five batters in the first and second innings, settled down to retire 11 in a row into the sixth.

That streak ended when Soto turned on an Urías fastball and ripped his first homer of the season into the right field stands, cutting the lead to 6-2. Three singles in a span of four batters resulted in an RBI hit by Gomes, which chased Urías from the game.

Jimmy Nelson relieved and loaded the bases by hitting pinch-hitter Yadiel Hernandez on the right foot with a 3-2 breaking ball. But Nelson fanned pinch-hitter Andrew Stevenson swinging to escape further damage.

The Dodgers loaded the bases off Sam Clay after the rookie lefty got the first two outs of the seventh on a double, an intentional walk and an infield hit. Kyle Finnegan replaced Clay and A.J. Pollack sent a sinking liner to left past a diving Stevenson for a three-run double and a 9-3 cushion.

Soto's second blast, off Scott Alexander in the ninth, was a two-run shot to right.

"I hate to use it as an excuse, but I feel like we've done it before," Martinez said. "We keep battling and come up short, but it's one of those things where we've gotta come out on top one of these games. It's not for a lack of battling, but we've just gotta figure out a way to outscore the other guy."

Martinez was happy with Soto's breakout, even if he tempered his enthusiasm while the slugger made his way through the trainer's room after the game.

"The kid's a good hitter," Martinez said of Soto. "He knows the strike zone well. When he gets a good pitch to hit, he puts a good swing on it. So it was a good night for him."

So long as Soto isn't seriously injured - and the homer he hit after fouling the ball off his foot seems to signify that he isn't - Martinez is happy that the offense is picking up.

"Hopefully, it's just nothing - it's a small contusion," he said. "I'll know more after he sees the trainer."

Washington will try avoid a series sweep on Sunday when Max Scherzer opposes the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw.