LOS ANGELES (AP) – Luis Garcia hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning and the last-place Washington Nationals rallied past the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-3 on Tuesday for their second straight win against the NL West leaders.
Garcia’s shot into the right-field seats with two outs against Los Angeles left-hander Garrett Cleavinger was his third home run of the season and brought home Josh Bell, who reached first.
Washington scored four more times against Cleavinger in the ninth, improving their major league-worst record to 34-65. The Dodgers have baseball’s second best record at 64-32.
Mookie Betts hit his team-leading 23rd home run and threw out a runner at home plate for the Dodgers.
Cody Bellinger also went deep, and Freddie Freeman added an RBI on a sacrifice fly as all three Dodgers runs came from former MVPs.
Nationals starter Josiah Gray, who was traded from the Dodgers to the Nationals last season, held his former team to one run through four innings before Los Angeles surged into a 3-2 lead in the fifth on Bellinger’s homer and Freeman’s fly.
Washington’s Juan Soto, who has been the subject of trade rumours heading into next week’s deadline, went zero for four and was hit by a pitch. He is three for 18 since winning the Home Run Derby during All-Star Game festivities last week at Dodger Stadium.
The Nationals got their offence on track early with first-inning RBIs from Bell and Yadiel Hernandez. Victor Robles and Cesar Hernandez led off the game with back-to-back singles, while Soto grounded out and Bell brought home Robles on a ground ball.
Hernandez’s RBI single made it 2-0.
Gray held the Dodgers in check after he was torched for seven runs on five hits and three walks in a game May 24 against them at Washington.
He gave up Betts’ homer to lead off the first inning but did not allow another run until the fifth.
Nationals right-hander Erasmo Hernandez (2-1) recorded two outs in the seventh inning to earn the victory.
Washington has earned victories in the first two games of the series after the Dodgers did the same to the Nationals in a three-game series on the East Coast in May.
