Yasiel Puig rounded first base and slowed up, taking a peak toward the outfield. His last season and a half had been forgettable, scarred by injury, stifled at the plate.
Here at least, he’d been useful. With the Los Angeles Dodgers down a run in the ninth inning, with Howie Kendrick on first, Puig had singled. He tapped his helmet into place, and then, suddenly, his arms flew, his hips flew out, his legs churned.
In the outfield, the ball had skipped through Michael Taylor’s legs. Now, it was a race. In those, Puig still excels. He flew past second, tore around third, and belly flopped into home plate. It wasn’t close. Puig scored the winning run in the 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals.
“It was a little bit crazy,” Puig said after the Dodgers won their sixth in a row, rallying after Wilson Ramos’ homer in the eighth inning off Pedro Baez gave the Nationals the lead.
Julio Urias spun another confident, useful, short outing, but the awkward situation that been percolating with each of Urias’ previous three starts continued to brew.
Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged it Wednesday afternoon, sitting in the dugout. The problem is this: Urias will make at least one more start, but soon enough, the Dodgers will shunt him away for a midseason respite. The Dodgers hope the unusual strategy will save his arm from damage.
The only problem is, Urias is making himself essential.
“We need him right now,” Roberts said. “These are valuable starts for our club and so it makes sense for him to be here as long as he can be.”
Roberts was asked about the wisdom of the shutdown.
“I don’t have any thoughts,” Roberts said.
He manoeuvred past the issue but noted that the Dodgers’ injured pitchers, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy, have made Urias’ presence more crucial. The Dodgers hope to have both starters back soon.
Urias said he’ll accept whatever role the team gives him but recalled last season, when he was given a break to undergo cosmetic surgery on his eye. When he returned, his former rhythm eluded him.
“The truth is, yes, it was difficult,” Urias said. “But the decision is the team’s. If the team tells me I’m going to take a break, I’ll be fine with that. If the team tells me I’m going to continue pitching, I’ll be prepared for that.”
Urias was less than dominant but more than competent against a first-place ballclub. He overpowered at times, such as when he struck out Bryce Harper twice on curveballs.
He expended too many pitches again – a season-high 94 over five innings.
He gave up two doubles in the second, to Joe Ross and Danny Espinosa, to plate both of his runs. And he had no decision, so he’ll remain winless at 0-2.
But overall, he gave up five hits, one walk, struck out six and again gave the Dodgers a chance to win.
The giddiness attending Urias’ ascension to the major leagues did not invade the visiting clubhouse before the game. In the manager’s office, Dusty Baker, the former Dodger, was asked about the comparisons between the 19-year-old and Fernando Valenzuela.
“Everybody’s the next somebody,” Baker said. “I was the next Hank Aaron. You see what happened.”
The reporters laughed, but Baker’s message was this: Prove it. The Nationals have had their own experience with “the-next-somebody” pitcher. First it was Stephen Strasburg. Next, they figure, it will be Lucas Giolito, the 21-year-old terrorising hitters in double A.
At the moment, they’re optimistic about Ross, 23.
Also young: Corey Seager, 22, who was responsible for Ross’ second run when he tattooed a sinker in the third inning to extend the Dodgers’ home-run streak to 13, their longest since 2001.

RESULTS
Miami 3 Atlanta 0
NY Yankees 9 Colorado 8
NY Mets 4 Kansas City 3
Houston 3 LA Angels 2
St. Louis 7 Chicago Cubs 2
Milwaukee 4 Oakland 2
Toronto 5 Arizona 2
Baltimore 7 San Diego 2
San Francisco 7 Pittsburgh 6
Detroit 5 Seattle 1
Chicago White Sox 8 Boston 6
Cleveland 6 Tampa Bay 1
Texas 6 Cincinnati 4
Minnesota 6 Philadelphia 5
LA Dodgers 4 Washington 3