Baseball: Nats blast past Dodgers for 2-1 NLDS lead

(The Sports Xchange) – Anthony Rendon and Jayson Werth homered as the Washington Nationals moved within a win of advancing to the National League Championship Series by posting an 8-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday at Dodger Stadium.

Reliever Sammy Solis (1-0) worked 1-2/3 scoreless innings for the Nationals, who grabbed a 2-1 series lead and can wrap up the best-of-five affair on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Mark Melancon closed out the victory with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda (0-1) worked only three innings and allowed four runs on five hits. Maeda, who was making his post-season debut, struck out four, walked two and hit a batter.

Rendon hit a two-run shot in the third, capping a four-run rally that gave Washington a 4-1 lead.

Werth, who was 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs, drilled a solo blast into the left field bleachers off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen to lead off the ninth, before Ryan Zimmerman added a two-run double as Washington pulled away.

Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez lasted 4-1/3 innings, giving up three runs on four hits with four strikeouts and a walk.

A bloop single by Werth and walks to Bryce Harper and Rendon allowed the Nationals to load the bases with two outs in the first. However, Maeda fanned Ryan Zimmerman to end the threat.

In the bottom of the inning, Corey Seager’s RBI double scored Justin Turner for a 1-0 Los Angeles lead.

However, the Nationals rallied in the third. An RBI double by Werth and a run-scoring single by Harper put Washington up by a run before Rendon smacked a two-run homer to left for a 4-1 advantage. It was Rendon’s first home run of the post-season.

Carlos Ruiz delivered a two-run, pinch-hit homer with one out in the fifth to cut the gap to 4-3.