WASHINGTON _ For more than a month, between the time he was sent back to the minors and called back up to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, catching prospect Will Smith loomed large in Los Angeles. While he continued mashing triple-A pitching in Oklahoma City, building a resume that was impossible to ignore, the Dodgers' catchers continued posting inadequate offensive production. It was simply a matter of time before Smith returned.
The Dodgers finally made the move Friday to replace the struggling Austin Barnes, believing Smith was ready to assume the primary catching role after his sustained prolific production in the Pacific Coast League. It would not take much to provide an upgrade. Barnes was one of the worst offensive players in the majors this season. Smith carried potential and represented a boost.
The rookie did not waste any time. In his first game back, Smith went 3 for 3 with a home run, two doubles, a sacrifice fly and six runs batted in to fuel the Dodgers to a 9-2 win over the Washington Nationals on Saturday. His surge came in support of Clayton Kershaw, who held the Nationals (55-49) to two runs over six innings after a tumultuous first frame. He has logged at least six innings in each of his 18 starts this season.
Smith provided the Dodgers' first run in the third inning with a solo home run to right field off right-hander Joe Ross in his first plate appearance since returning to the big leagues. A Dodgers catcher hadn't homered since Smith's walk-off three-run blast against the Colorado Rockies on June 23 before he was sent back down to triple A. It was Smith's 24th home run this season between the minors and majors. It was his fourth with the Dodgers (69-37) in 30 plate appearances. Barnes and Russell Martin, the Dodgers' other catcher, have combined for seven in 406 plate appearances.
Smith added a sacrifice fly in the Dodgers' three-run fourth inning and a two-out RBI double in the sixth to extend the Dodgers' lead to 5-2. He completed his outburst in the seventh inning with a bases-clearing double off right-hander Javy Guerra to become the first Dodgers rookie with at least six RBIs in a game since James Loney tallied nine in September 2006. He is the third rookie catcher in franchise history to tally six RBIs in game. He emerged with a .345 batting average and 1.256 OPS in 10 games for the Dodgers this season.
Kershaw entered his 18th start Saturday with a 2.84 earned-run average. He has spent the season successfully navigating through lineups with a reconfigured approach spawned by the limitations extreme mileage impose on an arm. But the first inning has consistently troubled him. The left-hander carried a 5.82 ERA and .873 OPS against in the first inning this season going into Saturday's outing. Both numbers were Kershaw's worst in any inning. They got worse Saturday.
Trea Turner led off with a single before Adam Eaton tripled him home and scored on Juan Soto's sacrifice fly to give Washington a swift 2-0 edge. And, as he has often done this season, Kershaw rebounded and held Washington to one hit over his final five innings. He struck out nine and walked three.
Smith ensured the bullpen had some margin for error after closer Kenley Jansen's high-wire act in Friday's win. Jansen wasn't available off his 34-pitch appearance, leaving Joe Kelly or Pedro Baez to close if a save situation arose. One didn't as the Dodgers rolled to another victory behind a rookie who is proving, without a doubt, that he belongs.
