Parra hits grand slam as Nationals rally to beat Dodgers 5-2

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gerardo Parra’s grand slam in the eighth inning helped the Washington Nationals rally for a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.

Parra — signed by the Nationals on Thursday after being designated for assignment by San Francisco last week — hit a fastball by Dylan Floro on the sixth pitch of the at-bat into the seats in right-center for his second home run of the season. It is the second grand slam of his career, with the other coming on April 22, 2012, against Atlanta.

The Nationals trailed 2-0 going into the eighth after Dodgers’ starter Walker Buehler allowed only four hits. They loaded the bases with one out against Pedro Baez (2-2) and got their first run when Juan Soto drove in Wilmer Difo with a single. It was Soto’s first game back after he was activated off the injured list earlier in the day.

Max Scherzer (2-4) went seven innings and allowed two runs and five hits with seven strikeouts. His only mistake came in the third inning when he walked Max Muncy with two outs and then served up a fastball to Justin Turner, who homered to right-center. Sean Doolittle picked up his sixth save with a scoreless ninth.

Buehler struck out seven in his first career start against the Nationals. It is the second consecutive game where he has gone seven innings.

Alex Verdugo had two hits for the Dodgers, who have dropped two of their last three at home after winning 10 straight.

HOT STREAK

Turner has hit five of his six home runs in the last four games. In 13 games since April 26, the Dodgers third baseman is batting .377 (20 for 33) with six home runs and 12 RBIs.

BACK IN LINEUP

Soto missed 10 games due to back spasms, but was able to pick up where he left off. He has reached base in his last 16 games and still leads the team in runs batted in (23) along with being tied for the lead in home runs with six.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: P Trevor Rosenthal (viral infection) began a rehab assignment at Double A Harrisburg. The right-hander struck out one in a scoreless inning. Manager Dave Martinez said he wants Rosenthal to refine his mechanics and gain confidence after he struggled the first month of the season. Rosenthal was 0-1 with a 27.00 ERA in seven appearances where he allowed 12 runs in three innings.

Dodgers: P Caleb Ferguson (oblique strain) will make another rehab appearance on Tuesday either at Triple A Oklahoma City or Class A Rancho Cucamonga. The left-hander tossed a scoreless frame at Rancho Cucamonga on Friday.

UP NEXT

Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg (3-2, 3.71 ERA) has struck out nine or more in four straight starts. He fanned 11 last Tuesday at Milwaukee but also allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings to take the loss.

Dodgers: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (4-1, 2.03 ERA) has gone at least seven innings in his last three starts and threw a complete-game shutout against Atlanta on Tuesday. Ryu threw seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in his last start against Washington on April 21, 2018.