LOS ANGELES _ To avoid a sweep at the hands of the Washington Nationals, the kings of the National League East, the Los Angeles Dodgers required a multitude of good fortune. Clayton Kershaw outdueled Washington starter Stephen Strasburg. The offense pounced on the tiniest of openings. After Kershaw left, the Dodgers needed the quick hands of Pedro Baez to get them out of a jam in a 2-1 victory.
The timing of Kershaw's departure was curious. Manager Dave Roberts allowed him to bat to end the seventh. He struck out, then learned his day was done. Into the game came Baez. He served up a leadoff triple to Nationals shortstop Trea Turner. A one-run lead hung in jeopardy.
Baez steadied himself to escape. He struck out outfielder Ryan Raburn, then flashed his glove to corral a hard-hit grounder from former National League MVP Bryce Harper. Baez, a former third baseman, started and finished a run-down to pick off Turner. Kenley Jansen scooped up the final four outs.
Overwhelmed by Strasburg for five innings, the Dodgers staged a two-run rally in the sixth. A solo shot by Corey Seager tied the score, and Yasmani Grandal finished the scoring with a go-ahead RBI double. Kershaw bested Strasburg with seven innings of one-run baseball. He struck out nine.
In this getaway day showdown, Kershaw blinked first. He paid for a well-placed fastball to start the second inning. Kershaw pumped a 92-mph heater at the knees of Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman. The pitch appeared to travel too far inside to be a strike. Umpire Chad Whitson never got a chance to render judgment. Zimmerman launched the pitch over the left-field fence for his 17th homer of the season.
The schedule allowed little respite for the Dodgers. On Tuesday night, the lineup was stripped and sold for parts by Nationals ace Max Scherzer, who struck out 14 in seven innings. Fourteen hours later, the Dodgers faced Strasburg, a worthy sidekick to Scherzer who brought a 2.91 earned-run average with him into the game.
Strasburg shredded the Dodgers at the start. Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-out single in the first. Chase Utley reached third base on an error by outfielder Michael Taylor in the second. Neither man could advance an inch. Strasburg struck out the side in the fourth.
The Dodgers broke Strasburg's spell in the sixth. Kershaw aided his own cause by forcing Strasburg to throw nine pitches to start the inning. He fouled off four in a row before grounding out. The crowd applauded his effort, and Roberts saluted him from the dugout. After an eight-pitch at-bat by Chris Taylor, Seager came to the plate.
Seager had struck out in his first two at-bats, unable to catch up with Strasburg's fastball. His timing was better in their third encounter. After a trio of changeups, Strasburg pumped a 95-mph fastball across the inner half. Seager responded with his eighth homer of the season.
Strasburg rebounded to strike out Gonzalez, which should have ended the inning. Except the 3-2 curveball bounced through the defenses of catcher Jose Lobaton. Gonzalez reached on a passed ball. He took second on a wild pitch. Grandal smashed a curveball into left field, where a leaping attempt by Raburn came up short. Gonzalez trotted home on the double.
