Dodgers 5, Nationals 0
WASHINGTON -- Zack Greinke, who used a looping curve to keep hitters off balance, allowed three hits and no runs in eight innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Washington Nationals 5-0 on Sunday to take the rubber game in a three-game set in a showdown of first-place clubs.
Greinke (9-2), who had a season-high 11 strikeouts with one walk, extended his scoreless streak to 43 2/3 innings and has not allowed a run in his last six starts. He lowered his ERA to a league-best ERA of 1.30 and did not allow a runner to reach second as he threw 119 pitches.
J.P. Howell pitched the ninth for the Dodgers, who had 15 hits and broke the game open with four runs in the top of the ninth.
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead with a run in the fourth. Left fielder Andre Ethier led off with a double, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by catcher Yasmani Grandal and then scored on a wild pitch by Washington starter Max Scherzer.
Ethier had his third hit, an RBI single to center with the bases loaded in the ninth, to make it 2-0. Reserve catcher A.J. Ellis followed with another RBI single off reliever Blake Treinen, and right fielder Yasiel Puig had a two-run single to make it 5-0 after he struck out in his first four at-bats.
The game was a matchup of All-Star pitchers and Cy Young candidates as Scherzer (10-8) entered the game with an ERA of 2.11. He gave up one run and seven hits in six innings before he was lifted for pinch hitter Wilmer Difo with one out and no one on in the sixth.
The Dodgers loaded the bases in the first with two singles and a walk against Scherzer. But the right-hander fanned Puig on a 95-mph fastball on a 1-2 pitch to end the threat.
Los Angeles had its first two hitters reach base with singles in the sixth but Scherzer retired the next three batters to end the threat, getting shortstop Jimmy Rollins on strikes for the final out.
Howie Kendrick, the Dodgers second baseman, also had three hits and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez had two. Third baseman Yunel Escobar had two hits for the Nationals.
The Dodgers (53-40) won for the seventh time in 11 games while the Nationals (49-41) dropped to 9-4 against the National League West this year.
Scherzer was one of three starters in the weekend series with the Dodgers who has thrown a no-hitter since June 2014. He tossed his no-hitter this past June against the Pittsburgh Pirates, while teammate Jordan Zimmermann did so on Aug. 28, 2014, against the Marlins. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who pitched Saturday, threw his no-hitter last year against the Colorado Rockies.
NOTES: The game time temperature was 93 degrees at 1:35 p.m. ET. ... C Yasmani Grandal had to leave the game in the sixth inning when he was hit on the facemask on a foul ball off the bat of CF Michael A. Taylor with no outs. Grandall went on the seven-day concussion DL on May 23. A.J. Ellis came in to catch.