The Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers met in the 2019 NLDS. It was a tight series throughout. This divisional series ended in spectacular fashion thanks to Howie Kendrick. Let’s have a look at the series’ action.
Opening Night Blowout
There was a world of difference between the NL Wild Card and NL West winners and it showed in the NLDS opener. The Nationals’ Patrick Corbin took some time to settle in on the mound as he gave up an early run on a walk to Max Muncy. Corbin kept L.A. off the scoreboard until the fifth, when Muncy once again got on base thanks to a fielding error that brought Cody Bellinger across the plate. The Dodgers were up 2-0 trough the first five and Walker Buehler had little trouble on the mound.
The blue crew was back at it in the seventh. Muncy came through yet again with a 2 RBI single to bring Joc Pederson and Justin Turner across the plate. Rookie Gavin Lux and Pederson finished things off for the locals with a pair of homers in the bottom of the eighth.
Final Score: Nationals 0-6 Dodgers.
Nationals Tie Series, Dodgers Went Down Fighting
The series was back at Dodgers Stadium the following day. Game Two featured the classic Clayton Kershaw postseason form. He gave up three early runs in the first two innings. Kendrick, Adam Eaton, and Anthony Rendon did the job with 3 RBI hits to put the Nationals ahead. The score was 3-0 by the end of the second.
Los Angeles got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth thanks to Turner’s sacrifice fly. Muncy added one more an inning later and the score was 3-2 by the end of the seventh. Asdrubal Cabrera widened the lead to three runs once again in the eight but L.A. wasn’t going down easy. The blue crew made Daniel Hudson work for the save, but he finished up the game nonetheless. Series even.
Final Score: Nationals 4-2 Dodgers
Dodgers Took The Lead
The Nats learned their lesson from previous games and went on the attach early at home. Juan Soto homered off Hyun-Jin Ryu in the first to put his team up by two in the early goings. Muncy hit a homer of his own in the top of the fifth to put the score 2-1. Washington seemed to have everything under control and then the sixth inning happened. Russell Martin came through with a 2 RBI double after not doing much in the first two games of the series. Enrique Hernandez did the same moments later. Their mid-inning performance was capped off with a Turner homer. The Dodgers were ahead 8-4 by the end of the sixth.
Martin kept his hot night at the plate going with a 2 run homer at the top of the ninth. Kenley Jansen closed things out for the Dodgers in the bottom of the inning. They were set and Monday could see them NL Divisional champs.
Final Score: Dodgers 10-4 Nationals. 
Scherzer Kept Washington Alive
Max Scherzer threw a gem at home in the fourth game of the series. The 25-year-old pitched 7 innings, allowing a single run and striking out 7. Rich Hill threw 2⅔ innings, allowing four runs and striking out four. He gave up the baseball to Kenta Maeda.
Turner put the Dodgers on the board early with a solo home run in the top of the first. That was all the blue crew would get that night as it was all Nationals from that point on. Rendon tied the score with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third. Washington hit back-to-back homers in the bottom of the fifth to open up the lead 5-1. Rendon finished things off adding another run off a sacrifice fly. Nationals won forcing a fifth and final game at Dodger Stadium.
Final Score: Dodgers 1-6 Nationals
Howie Kendrick Wins It For Nats
Hill took the mound for the Dodgers at home, hoping to take them to the 2019 NLCS. Stephen Strasburg did the same for the Nationals. Muncy opened up the scoring for the home team with a home run in the bottom of the first to put L.A. up by one. Hernandez did the same with a man on base in the third to widen the lead.
Dodgers were up 3-0 after five innings of baseball
Juan Soto chipped into the lead with an RBI single in the sixth to bring in a run. The ballgame sailed along until Kurt Suzuki got hit by a pitch in the top of the seventh. He was replaced by Yan Gomes at catcher. Kershaw was pummeled coming out of the bullpen. He gave up back-to-back homers to Rendon and Soto to tie things up at three in the eight. The game was still tied after nine innings. Free baseball was coming with a spot in the 2019 NLCS was on the line.
Kendrick was the hero of the night as he came through with a grand slam off Joe Kelly in the top of the tenth. The Nationals lead by four as the Dodger crowd went quiet. Sean Doolittle closed things out for the Nationals in the bottom of the inning. The Dodgers season is over and the Nats are going on to the 2019 NLCS.
Final Score: Dodgers 3-7 Nationals
Where To Watch
The Nationals will take on the Cardinals on the 2019 NLCS. Game 1 kicks off this Friday at 8:08 PM ET on TBS.
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