The Los Angeles Dodgers went into Saturday’s game against the Washington Nationals facing the prospect of losing their third of five series this season. But home runs from Joc Pederson, Kiké Hernandez and Cody Bellinger backed Hyun-Jin Ryu in a 4-0 win.
Ryu extended his string of starts with seven shutout innings, limiting the Nationals to just two hits while recording eight strikeouts. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the third inning and followed that by striking out the side in the fourth.
In his last three starts, Ryu has allowed just two runs on six hits, with 25 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched.
For much of the night he made Pederson’s solo home run, hit in the second inning, hold up. The homer was Pederson’s first of the season and came on his 26th birthday.
Birthday bash. #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/F5B1ja7xnP
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 22, 2018
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had Pederson in the lineup in effort to give him an opportunity to find a rhythm at the plate. Saturday’s start was just the second time Pederson has been in the lineup on back-to-back days.
Just as Stephen Strasburg was on the verge of holding the Dodgers to only one run through seven innings, Hernandez pinch-hit for Ryu and crushed a fastball halfway up the pavilion in left field.
Need an insurance run? @kikehndez's got you covered. #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/FVZ889fyo4
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 22, 2018
One inning later, Bellinger broke his bobblehead night drought by hitting a towering two-run homer to right field.
Hitting a homer on your bobblehead night?
Boss move. #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/Wp3VxOJbOa
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 22, 2018
Up to that point, Bellinger was a combined 0-for-8 with three strikeouts on his bobblehead night (includes last season).
