Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers emerge with win over Nationals

Field Level Media|published: Sat 21st June, 01:17 2025

MLB: Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Dodgers

Jun 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a RBI single during the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Miguel Rojas hit a two-run home run and Clayton Kershaw inched closer to 3,000 career strikeouts as the Los Angeles Dodgers earned a 6-5 victory over the visiting Washington Nationals on Friday.

Kershaw (3-0) gave up two runs on five hits and two walks in five innings. He fanned four, move within eight of becoming the 20th pitcher with 3,000 strikeouts and the fourth left-hander.

Andy Pages had an RBI single in a three-run third inning and Shohei Ohtani reached base three times with an RBI single as the Dodgers rebounded from a loss to the San Diego Padres on Thursday while improving to 9-3 since June 8.

Amed Rosario, Riley Adams and CJ Abrams homered for the Nationals, who had ended an 11-game losing streak on Thursday.

Rosario gave the Nationals a 1-0 lead as the second batter of the game when he homered off Kershaw, his fourth.

The Dodgers took the lead for good in the third. Mookie Betts' fielder's-choice grounder scored Enrique Hernandez for a 1-1 tie. Los Angeles took a 2-0 lead on a two-out infield single from Teoscar Hernandez when shortstop Abrams was unable to get a force out at second base. Pages singled for the third run of the inning.

The Dodgers went up 4-1 in the fourth on Ohtani's run-scoring single before the Nationals got the run back on Adams' leadoff homer in the fifth, his third.

Rojas' two-run home run in the sixth, his third, knocked Washington starter MacKenzie Gore from the game. Gore (3-7) gave up six runs (five earned) on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings with four walks and four strikeouts.

The Nationals pulled within 6-4 in the seventh inning on a two-run double from Luis Garcia Jr. One batter later, with two runners in scoring position, Los Angeles left fielder Michael Conforto preserved the lead with a diving catch.

Dodgers left-hander Tanner Scott gave up Abrams' home run in the ninth before finishing off his 15th save. The blast was Abrams' 10th of the year.

Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts served a one-game suspension on Friday after benches cleared without incident in the team's Thursday game against the San Diego Padres.

--Field Level Media