The Dodgers, meanwhile, are dealing with a bullpen headache that's followed them into September. Edwin Diaz landed on the injured list after a rough stretch, Blake Treinen still hasn't been activated off his own IL stint, and Roki Sasaki — who'd been pitching well as a starter — is out with a finger blister. Los Angeles has enough talent to cover for it against most teams, and the price to back them here reflects exactly that.
This is actually the middle of a set between these two — the Nationals and Dodgers play again on Sept. 4 before this game, so whatever's true about the series right now is subject to change by the time first pitch rolls around Saturday. What isn't changing is the standings picture: the Dodgers have built roughly an 8-game cushion in the NL West, so this series carries none of the urgency it would if San Diego or Arizona were within shouting distance.
Washington's season is about developing the next core, not the standings, and that's the lens for this whole series. Manager Blake Butera, the youngest skipper in the sport, has been leaning on young pieces like Dylan Crews, and a healthy Wood only adds to what the front office wants to see down the stretch. For the Dodgers, games like this one are about staying sharp and healthy heading into October, not desperation.
With the division essentially settled, the real intrigue here is whether Los Angeles can shore up its bullpen before the games start mattering again, and whether Washington's kids keep making a case for next year. That's a different kind of drama than a pennant race, but it's still worth watching.