The Washington Nationals enter Saturday’s game at Dodger Stadium trying to build momentum after finally snapping an 11-game losing streak with a dramatic 4–3 walk-off win, a result that provided a brief but much-needed jolt for a young team navigating a grueling June stretch in which they’ve gone just 2–13 overall. They hand the ball to left-hander MacKenzie Gore, who has shown elite-level stuff with 123 strikeouts this season but has struggled with control, long innings, and a lack of defensive support that has amplified the damage in many of his outings. In his last appearance against the Dodgers, Gore was tagged for six runs in 5⅔ innings, with lapses in fielding and command contributing to the unraveling, and to find success this time around he’ll need to stay aggressive in the strike zone while limiting baserunners, particularly in the early innings. Offensively, the Nationals have leaned on flashes from CJ Abrams, Riley Adams, and Amed Rosario, who all contributed in their most recent win, including a pinch-hit two-run double from Adams that capped off a ninth-inning rally, but overall the team has lacked consistency and clutch execution, especially on the road where their scoring output dips noticeably. James Wood has added occasional pop, but the lineup still struggles to produce big innings without the benefit of defensive errors or pitcher meltdowns from opponents. Against a future Hall of Famer in Clayton Kershaw, Washington will have to work deep counts and avoid chasing offspeed pitches early in at-bats to have any chance of building offensive pressure and avoiding quick innings.

The Nationals’ defense has been a liability throughout the season, and against a lineup like Los Angeles, which constantly puts the ball in play and takes extra bases aggressively, even small mistakes can snowball into game-changing innings. The bullpen remains a fragile unit, often overtaxed due to short outings by starters and filled with arms that lack experience closing out tight games, meaning Washington will be leaning heavily on Gore to pitch into at least the sixth inning and give them a shot to compete late. While their home ATS record has been solid at 8–2 in their last ten, their performance on the road has been far more volatile, and playing in an environment like Dodger Stadium against one of the league’s best lineups leaves little room for error. The Nationals will need early offense, a clean defensive performance, and above-average work from their bullpen to stay close and possibly steal a win, but if Gore struggles or the lineup fails to generate run support, the game could quickly tip in favor of Los Angeles. With momentum from their recent win offering a psychological edge, the Nationals could play looser and more confident than in recent games, but they remain significant underdogs, and unless they play one of their most complete games of the season, a narrow 5–3 loss or 6–4 final in favor of the Dodgers appears to be the more likely result.