Sweep the leg.
Yasmani Grandal, Kiké Hernandez, and Yasiel Puig all homered as the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals, 7-2, on Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park.
Washington entered the weekend series as the hottest team in baseball with a record of 13-2 in their last 15 games.
After a rainout on Friday, the Dodgers swept a day-night doubleheader on Saturday, including a victory over three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer.
The seemingly daunting task of sweeping the three-time National League East Champions was supposed to be even more challenging as the Dodgers had to defeat three-time All-Star Stephen Strasburgh on Sunday.
Grandal got the scoring started in the top of the second inning with a solo shot off Strasburg that gave the Dodgers the early, 1-0 lead.
Grandal's home run was the 11th consecutive solo shot by the boys in blue in the month of May.
The Nationals would respond as Trea Turner gave Washington the lead with a two-run, go-ahead home run off Alex Wood in the bottom of the third inning.
"The pitch to Turner that squeaked out I left it over the plate a little bit," admitted Wood after the game. "But besides that I thought I commanded all my pitches pretty well today.
Enrique Hernandez broke the streak of solo shots with a two-run home run off Strasburg in the top of the fifth to put the Dodgers in front, 3-2.
"It was huge, obviously," Hernandez said of the victory. "Last few weeks it's been hard to score some runs. We did that all day today and this entire series and I feel like we're heading in a great direction."
Hernandez's homer was the first long ball with a runner on base since May 1st and his second home run against Strasburg this season.
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"His talent makes me focus more," Hernandez told SportsNetLA of his success against Strasburg. "After my first at-bat my Dad [Chase Utley] told me to use his bat and I did and first pitch I hit a homer, so it's "Dad's bat.'"
Wood (1-4) earned his first victory of the season, allowing two runs on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts in six solid innings. He left the game with leg cramps in the seventh inning after making only 82 pitches.
"I think after I showed off my speed on the bases and then hung out there for a little while during that inning, I cramped up on my last pitch that I threw," Wood said of his first career stolen base, and then having to leave the game shortly thereafter. "Otherwise, I felt pretty good today."
Strasburg (5-4) took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits with four walks and seven strikeouts in 6 and 2/3 innings.
Puig broke the game open with a two-run homer off Wander Suero in the top of the eighth inning.
Since hitting his first home run of the season on Mother's Day last Sunday, Puig has flipped the power switch and hit four long balls over the last week.
Speaking of "sweeping the leg," Anthony Rendon hit a line drive off the leg of Josh Fields in the bottom of the eighth with runners on first and second.
Thankfully, the ball richocheted off Fields' leg and right to Max Muncy at first base for the final out of the inning.
Fields returned to the mound in the ninth and recorded a four-out save, his second save of the season.
The Dodgers added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth after an RBI double by Joc Pederson.
Los Angeles ends the season series against the Nationals with a record of 5-1, their first season series victory against Washington since 2016 when they also were 5-1.
The Dodgers tied the Nationals with 579 wins, the most among any other team in Major league Baseball, since 2012.
Up Next:
The Dodgers will leave on a jet plane back to Los Angeles where they will embark upon a season-high 10-game, 11-day homestand against the Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies. RHP German Marquez is expected to start on Monday opposite rookie Walker Buehler. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10PM PST.
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