The Dodgers beat the Washington Nationals 5-0.
The night’s first batter spelled trouble for Kenta Maeda. In a vacuum, issuing a walk to Adam Eaton to begin Friday’s game at Dodger Stadium on Friday was minor. But these games aren’t played in vacuums and recent history — the command problems hindering Maeda this young season — suggested difficulties loomed. It was another walk, another leadoff man on base, another self-created obstacle to overcome.
And it was the falsest of starts. Maeda shifted gears from there, retiring 18 of the final 20 Washington Nationals he faced in the Dodgers’ 5-0 victory. He surrendered one hit — a leadoff single to Wilmer Difo in the third inning — over six innings. He walked two while striking out six.
It was the best of Maeda’s eight outings so far in an uneven 2019. He entered the night having walked 18 batters in his initial 38 ⅔ innings. Last season, he walked 43 batters in 125 ⅓ innings. He walked 2.6 batters per nine innings over his first three years in Los Angeles. Before Friday, that number was up to 4.2 in 2019. The troubles resulted in inconsistency. He oscillated between good and poor outings over his first seven turns.
