Dodgers 4 Nationals 1: Kershaw and Turner Stay Hot

The Dodgers got the win tonight against a tough Nationals team with their ace, Clayton Kershaw on the mound.

So anticipation for tonight’s game went way down when Stephen Strasburg was scratched from the lineup a little over an hour before first pitch. Even Vin Scully over the broadcast said he had a sore throat all day, but came to work because he was so looking forward to the Kershaw and Strasburg match up. (On an unrelated note, I think it is so cool that Vin Scully gets super excited for pitching match ups after announcing for so many years. His passion and admiration for the sport is definitely still alive and well.) When the Nationals announced that Strasburg would not be making his start due to an upper back sprain, they also announced that Yusmeiro Petit would be making the start instead.

Kershaw was great yet again. I think baseball writers as a whole are stuck on finding new adjectives to describe what Kershaw has been able to do on the mound. Tonight he went seven innings, allowed one earned run, struck out eight and did not allow a walk. On the season, he now has 141 strike outs with just 7 walks and an ERA of 1.57. Kershaw had held the Nationals to just three hits until he got to the top of the seventh inning. He also shut down Bryce Harper this evening who struck out three times. Daniel Murphy led off the inning with a single and then a fielders choice allowed for one out, but the next two batters would single off of Kershaw. He was clearly no longer fooling anyone. One run scored on the single from Anthony Rendon, but Kershaw was able to get out of that inning and finish his night off with 106 pitches.

The Dodgers struck in the bottom of the first inning when Justin Turner came up and hit a home run into center. Turner over the past few games is swinging a hot bat and seems to have settled down at the plate. After struggling to get started, it is great to see Turner seeing and hitting the ball well. Turner was the hero again when he singled in the third inning to score Corey Seager from third base. The Dodgers at this point led by 2-0. The Dodgers would tack in another run when Joc Pederson sent a ball into the seats in the fifth inning. Now the boys in blue had a three run lead with their ace on the mound so everything was looking great.

The Nationals would score their first run in the seventh inning when Kershaw gave up those three singles, but they would be retired by the ace pitcher before any more runs scored. With the Dodgers only leading by a score of 3-1 now and Kershaw coming out of the game, they were determined to add to that lead in the bottom of the seventh. Pederson led off the inning and struck out while trying to bunt. Howie Kendrick followed him up by doubling to right. Yasmani Grandal struck out looking and Dave Roberts had Enrique Hernandez hit for Kershaw. Yesterday Hernandez had a pinch hit home run, so the Nationals keeping that in mind decided to intentionally walk him with two outs in order to face Chase Utley. Utley delivered a two out RBI single to put the Dodgers ahead by a score of 4-1.

Joe Blanton entered from the bullpen and pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Let’s hope that the Dodgers bullpen problems have been left in the past considering how well they have been pitching the past couple of series. Who knew there was a dependable bullpen in there?

The Dodgers went 1-2-3 in the eighth inning so Kenley Jansen entered the game with a three run lead and looking to make history. Tonight Jansen got his 162nd save with the Dodgers and passed Eric Gagne. That number not only passed a Dodger great, but also gives Jansen the all time save record with the club. He also became the first Dodger to record five, 20-save seasons.

At that start of the game, Scully said it was 96 degrees, but the weather was not the only thing hot at Dodger stadium this evening. Kershaw continues his dominance, Turner is still swinging a hot bat and Jansen made history. It was a great night to be a Dodger fan and to top it all off, the Giants lost! The Dodgers now sit 5.5 games back in second place.

The Dodgers will face the Nationals again tomorrow and first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM.