Buehler dominates in Game 1

sLOS ANGELE » Walker Buehler allowed one hit over six scoreless innings, Max Muncy drove in three runs and the Los Angeles Dodgers capitalized on mistakes to beat the Washington Nationals 6- 0 in Game 1 of their NL Division Series on Thursday night.

Buehler struck out eight, walked three and retired his final seven batters after earning the start over veterans Clayton Kershaw and Hyun- Jin Ryu, whose 2.32 ERA was lowest in the majors this season.

“He set the tone for us,” Muncy said about Buehler. “He was pounding the zone.”

Dodgers rookie Gavin Lux and Joc Pederson slugged pinch- hit solo homers in the eighth.

Nationals first baseman Howie Kendrick had two grounders roll under his glove, the second leading to the Dodgers’ second run in the fifth.

Washington’s Patrick Corbin stumbled through a rocky first inning. He issued four walks, joining Art Reinhart of the St. Louis Cardinals as the only pitchers to walk that many in the first inning they ever pitched in the postseason.

Reinhart walked four _ including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig _ in the fifth inning of Game 4 of the 1926 World Series against the Yankees.

Corbin walked three in a row with two outs in the 31- pitch inning. Yan Gomes was charged with a passed ball, too, and Muncy drew a free pass with the bases loaded to put the Dodgers in front.

“We didn’t play very well today,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said.

Corbin gave up two runs — one earned — and three hits in six innings. The left- hander struck out nine and finished with five walks.

It was a quiet offensive night for each team’s MVP contender.

Third baseman Anthony Rendon, who hit .319 in the regular season, went 0 for 2 with two strikeouts and a walk. Cody Bellinger, a .305 hitter, struck out twice and walked twice.

It was the fourth shutout in games between the teams this season, and third by the Dodgers.

Los Angeles won its eighth in a row dating to the regular season. Washington’s nine- game winning streak, including the wild- card victory, ended.