The Los Angeles Dodgers received six quality innings from Ross Stripling to go along with timely hitting in a 4-1 victory over the Washington Nationals in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader. Three different players drove in a run for the Dodgers, led by two RBI from Max Muncy.
The afternoon began on a positive note, as Joc Pederson capped off a 10-pitch at-bat with a leadoff triple in the first inning. He later scored on Yasmani Grandal’s sacrifice fly to give the Dodgers an early lead.
Singles by Logan Forsythe and Pederson put runners at the corners with one out in the fifth inning. Cody Bellinger beat out a potential double play ball, allowing a run to score that broke a tie.
Muncy’s RBI double in the sixth inning and his sacrifice fly in the eighth provided a bit of insurance for Stripling and the Dodgers bullpen to finish out the game.
Although the Nationals managed to get a game-tying run off Stripling in the third inning, he otherwise was dominant. Stripling held the Nationals to just four hits and finished the outing by retiring 9 of the last 10 batters faced, including six in a row.
He struck out the side in the first and sixth innings, collecting a career-high nine strikeouts. That came one start after setting a career high with seven punchouts against the Miami Marlins.
Pederson helped JT Chargois in the seventh by throwing out Howie Kendrick on his attempt to stretch a leadoff single to a double in the seventh inning. That proved key, considering Chargois later allowed an infield single and stolen base before getting through the frame.
Josh Fields tossed a 1-2-3 eighth inning and Kenley Jansen followed suit in the ninth to convert his seventh save of the season.
