Dodgers quiet Nats 6-0 in Game 1 of NLDS
Walker Buehler twirled six one-hit innings and Max Muncy played a part in driving home four runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers took Game 1 of the NLDS 6-0 over the Washington Nationals in LA Thursday night.
Buehler allowed just a second-inning single and three walks, striking out eight over six scoreless frames. The Dodger bullpen did the rest, collecting the final nine outs without allowing a run.
Nationals starter Patrick Corbin struggled early, walking four Dodger batters in a 31-pitch first inning, but wriggled out of trouble with just a single run allowed. He settled down after that, as the Dodgers didn’t collect their first hit until Muncy’s leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth.
The Nationals loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the fourth against Buehler, all on walks, but Asdrubal Cabrera tapped back to Buehler to end the threat.
Neither team would score again until the bottom of the fifth, when LA tacked on a run on a two-out ground ball by Muncy that went through the legs of Howie Kendrick at first base. Cody Bellinger scored from third, but Adam Eaton threw Chris Taylor out at the plate trying to score all the way from first base to end the threat.
Muncy came through for the Dodgers again in the bottom of the seventh, plating a pair on a two-out, bases-loaded single against Fernando Rodney to stretch the lead to 4-0.
The Dodgers added a pair of solo home runs by Gavin Lux and Joc Pederson in the bottom of the eighth to provide the final margin.
These two teams meet again in LA Friday night for Game 2 of the best-of-five series with Stephen Strasburg taking on Clayton Kershaw at 9:37 p.m.
