Landon Knack entered Wednesday with a golden opportunity: a chance to stabilize a Dodgers rotation missing several stars. Instead, the rookie right-hander walked away frustrated, owning up to a rocky outing that nearly handed the Nationals a series sweep.

“First inning especially, just completely out of sync with stuff,” Knack said postgame. “Release point just not there. Really didn’t have changeup command today… that’s not me. Obviously, very frustrating.”

Knack’s honesty was as clear as his struggles on the mound. Staked to an early 4-0 lead after Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman helped the Dodgers jump on Nationals starter Jake Irvin, Knack couldn’t make it stand. A leadoff homer to C.J. Abrams and three walks unraveled his opening frame, and by the third inning, the lead had evaporated.

By the time manager Dave Roberts pulled him, Knack had thrown 69 pitches over 2 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on three hits and four walks. “Unfortunately, today, it just didn’t seem like Landon had any feel for the baseball,” Roberts said. “There was just a lot of bad misses with all of his pitches.”

Dodgers rally around Landon Knack to beat the Nationals

Still, the Dodgers escaped Washington with a 6-5 win, thanks in large part to their bullpen and timely hitting. After Knack’s departure, six relievers combined to allow just one hit over 6 2/3 innings. Blake Treinen sealed the win with a tightrope ninth that ended with a groundout from top prospect James Wood.

Shohei Ohtani, who went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and scored the go-ahead run, was at the heart of the Dodgers’ late push. Andy Pages tied the game with a solo homer in the seventh—his second straight game with a blast—and Ohtani’s hustle on an infield single and steal set up Hernández’s game-winning knock to right field.

Kiké Hernández, playing out of position at first base, delivered arguably the defensive play of the night. With runners at first and second in the ninth, Hernández made a diving stop on a ball headed toward the hole, then fired to second to get the lead runner and halt a potential Nationals rally.

“I don’t want to say we’re desperate for a win at times,” reliever Kirby Yates said, “but we didn’t want to leave here without one.”

The Dodgers avoided a sweep and wrapped up a cold, frustrating East Coast trip at 2-4. Still, the club knows it wasn’t their cleanest stretch. “We didn’t necessarily run the bases great,” said Kiké. “We played some sloppy defense… But I’m not going to sit here and make a big deal out of it. We just had a tough week.”

Knack is expected to remain in the rotation, with another start likely against the Rockies next week. He’ll have a chance to regroup and rewrite the narrative. For now, though, even amid a win, Knack’s debut was a clear reminder that the road to consistency in the majors isn’t always smooth.