Dodgers win two straight without Ohtani as two-time Cy Young winner Snell dominates

The Dodgers did not have Shohei Ohtani, but Blake Snell gave them the performance they needed. The two-time Cy Young winner threw six scoreless innings as Los Angeles beat the Nationals 5-3 for its second straight victory.

Snell used 100 pitches, including 65 strikes, allowed five hits and walked two while striking out seven. The outing lowered his season ERA to 1.97 and gave him his third win of the season.

Since returning from injury, Snell has made five starts and thrown 29 innings. He has struck out 38 batters while allowing three earned runs, producing a 0.93 ERA over that stretch.

The Dodgers supported him with a three-run third inning, when Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández delivered consecutive run-scoring hits. A Nationals defensive error added another run in the fourth. Kyle Tucker then hit his first home run since Aug. 8, his 12th of the season, in the sixth inning to give Los Angeles a decisive cushion.

The Dodgers had briefly fallen behind Atlanta in the National League standings before the game. Atlanta’s win over Philadelphia gave the Braves an 84-57 record, compared with Los Angeles’ 83-57 mark at the time. After the victory, the Dodgers moved back to 84-57 and into a tie for second, keeping the playoff race tight. Ohtani sat out for a second consecutive game because of injury.