Clayton Kershaw pitched eight strong innings Friday night, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-2 win over the Washington Nationals in the opener of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. He was backed by a first-inning two-run home run from Andre Ethier, who took Ross Detwiler deep for his first home run off a left-hander this season.
"Anytime you get runs early like that, it's awesome," Kershaw said.
Kershaw allowed just three hits and a walk, though one of the hits was a two-run home run by Adam LaRoche that cut the Dodgers' 3-0 advantage to just one run. But Kershaw battled through for his 12th straight home win, tying a Los Angeles Dodgers franchise record.
"I was able to throw the pitches I needed to," Kershaw said. "There wasn't anything pretty about it, but I was able to battle through it."
The Dodgers are now 7-3 in one-run games, and are tied with the Nationals at 14-6 for the best record in the National League.
Chad Billingsley takes the mound for the Dodgers tomorrow, but he will face two of the most hyped No. 1 overall draft picks in recent memory in Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, the latter making his major league debut.
For more Dodgers news and notes, be sure to read True Blue LA.
