Washington Nationals narrowly avoid being no-hit by Hyun-Jin Ryu, but drop finale with Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-0...

Washington’s Nationals were five outs away from being no-hit by Los Angeles Dodgers’ left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu when Gerardo Parra lined a 90 MPH 1-1 fastball to left-center for a one-out double and the Nats’ first hit of the game, but Parra was stranded and the home team in Dodger Stadium took the series finale, 6-0, to earn a split of the four-game set in LA.

Strasburg vs the Dodgers: All four of the runs Stephen Strasburg gave up in his last outing before this afternoon’s start in the series finale in LA came in his final inning of work on the mound in Milwaukee, when the Brewers rallied and connected for three of the six hits they collected off the Nationals’ right-hander overall.

“Strasburg was really, really good,” manager Davey Martinez told reporters after the 6-0 loss in Miller Park. “If he continues to pitch like this, we’re going to win a lot of games.”

The loss in the outing left the ‘09 No. 1 overall pick (3-2) after eight starts, with a 3.71 ERA, a 2.85 FIP, 14 walks, and 68 Ks in 51 innings pitched over the first month-plus of 2019.

Strasburg retired the Dodgers in order in the first inning of the series finale this afternoon in LA, but he issued a leadoff walk to Cody Bellinger in the bottom of the second, and a stolen base and a groundout moved the runner over to third with one out and Bellinger scored on a sac fly to left off Corey Seager’s bat for a 1-0 lead.

He’d given up a run, but not a hit before Justin Turner’s one-out single in the bottom of the fourth, and the second hit followed with Cody Bellinger lining a single to left that allowed Turner to take third. Bellinger moved up on an off-target throw to third base by Juan Soto, and Turner scored on a chopper off Alex Verdugo’s bat that got over the mound, 2-0.

Strasburg worked around a double in a 10-pitch sixth which left him at 97 pitches total on the day...

Stephen Strasburg’s Line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 Ks, 97 P, 67 S, 7/3 GO/FO.

Ryu vs the Nationals: Dodgers’ lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu had allowed two runs or fewer in each of his seven starts on the season before this afternoon, and the 32-year-old was coming off a 93-pitch, complete game shutout of the Atlanta Braves when he took the mound in the series finale with the Washington Nationals in Dodger Stadium.

Ryu started the day with a 2.03 ERA, a 2.96 FIP, two walks, and 45 Ks in 44 ¹⁄₃ IP on the year in his sixth season in the Dodgers’ rotation, and retired the 15 of 16 through five scoreless and hitless innings as the home team jumped out to a 2-0 lead, with a one-out walk in the Nationals’ fourth the first free pass he’d issued in Dodger Stadium since August of 2018, a stretch of 65 innings without a walk at home.

Stephen Strasburg almost ended Ryu’s no-hit bid with one out in the sixth, but right fielder Cody Bellinger charged the line drive to short right and fired a strike to first base to keep it going.

Ryu’s eight-pitch, 1-2-3 seventh made it 21 of 22 batters set down through seven scoreless and hitless, on 98 pitches.

Ryu returned to the mound in the eighth, and retired the first batter he faced (22 of 23), but a 1-1 fastball to Gerardo Parra was lined to left-center for the Nationals’ first hit of the game.

Wilmer Difo bunted, moving Parra over to third in the next at bat (though Parra was already in scoring position, and the Nationals trailed by two), but the first baserunner to reach on a hit was stranded one out later as Ryu completed his eighth scoreless inning at

Hyun-Jin Ryu’s Line: 8.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 Ks, 116 P, 79 S, 8/5 GO/FO.

Soto Still Streaking: Juan Soto extended his on-base streak with his RBI single in the eighth inning of last night’s game. Soto, 20, had reached base in 16-straight games going into the series finale with the Dodgers in LA this afternoon, but he was 0 for 3 with three Ks against Hyun-Jin Ryu.

BULLPEN ACTION: Justin Miller took over on the mound for the Nationals in the bottom of the seventh, but he was replaced after a one-out single and sac bunt gave the Dodgers (0 for 21) with runners in scoring position in the series, another short at driving one in.

Left-hander Dan Jennings relieved Miller, and stranded the runner he inherited to keep it a 2-0 game.

Kyle Barraclough got the ball in the bottom of the eighth inning and hit Justin Turner, gave up a single by Cody Bellinger, walked Alex Verdugo, and then surrendered a grand slam on a heater to Corey Seager that ended up going out to right field to make it 6-0 Dodgers.

Kenley Jansen came on in the ninth and retired the Nationals in order to end it.

Enjoy your off day tomorrow...

Nationals now 16-24