Like they did against Max Scherzer the night prior, the Los Angeles Dodgers struck first and early against Steven Strasburg, and later came from behind for a 7-2 victory to complete a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals.
The Dodgers did their damage behind big swings from Yasmani Grandal and Kiké Hernandez. Grandal’s home run in the second inning, his team-leading eighth of the season, broke a scoreless tie.
Hernandez ambushed Strasburg’s first pitch for a two-run homer in the fifth inning that gave the Dodgers a 3-2 advantage. The Dodgers entered having hit 18 home runs in May, with 17 being consecutive solo shots.
Before Hernandez, Cody Bellinger’s two-run homer on May 1 was the last a Dodgers player hit with a runner on base.
Strasburg’s day came to an end at 115 pitches over 6.2 innings, with the three runs allowed on five hits and three walks. He exited with seven strikeouts and responsible for runners on first and second base, but they were both stranded when Sammy Solis struck out Bellinger.
Alex Wood was poised to pitch into the seventh for first time since going eight innings against the San Francisco Giants in his 2018 debut but had that cut short due to apparent cramping. Similar to his May 3 start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Wood began stretching while warming up for an inning.
So it was that Wood went six innings, allowing just two runs — on a homer to Trea Turner in the third inning — to earn his first win of the season. Wood also picked up his first career stolen base, swiping second in the top of the seventh, which may have contributed to the cramping.
Tony Cingrani responded well to being unexpectedly pressed into duty as he struck out the side. Yasiel Puig’s two-run home run in the eighth inning proved key. Erik Goeddel struck out the first batter faced in the bottom of the eighth but was removed after Turner’s two-out single and a walk of Bryce Harper.
Josh Fields entered to face Anthony Rendon and some good fortune on his side, as Rendon’s line drive went off Fields’ leg and right to Max Muncy at first base to end the inning. Joc Pederson’s RBI double and Bellinger’s RBI groundout provided more insurance for Fields to complete the four-out save.
