Los Angeles @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( May 5, 2014 ) LA Dodgers 0, Washington 4

The Los Angeles Dodgers will welcome back reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw when they visit the Washington Nationals in the middle game of their three-game series Tuesday night. Kershaw has been out six weeks with a strained muscle in his upper back and his return couldn’t come at a better time, as Hyun-Jin Ryu missed Sunday’s start with discomfort in his throwing shoulder. That’s just one area of concern for the Dodgers, who are coming off a 4-0 shutout against the Nationals in Monday’s series opener and also sit near the bottom of the major leagues in fielding percentage.

The Dodgers played without outfielder Yasiel Puig in the series opener after he crashed into the right-field wall trying to chase down a walk-off RBI double by the Miami Marlins in Sunday’s loss. The three outfielders who started Monday’s game, Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier, combined for six of the eight hits for Los Angeles. Adam LaRoche continues to be the hottest hitter for the Nationals, picking up two more hits Monday to give him three multi-hit games in his last five games.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, SportsNet Los Angeles, MASN (Washington)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (1-0, 1.35 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Blake Treinen (0-0, 1.35)

Kershaw will take the ball in a major-league game for the first time since March 22, when he made his season debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Australia. Kershaw threw a gem against Washington last May at Dodger Stadium, going 8 2/3 scoreless innings and striking out 11 while throwing a career-high 132 pitches in the 2-0 victory. He’s 5-2 in his career against the Nationals with a 3.18 ERA.

Treinen will make his first major-league start after three appearances out of the bullpen this season. He was drafted in the 23rd round of the 2010 by the Miami Marlins, returned to South Dakota State for his senior year and was taken in the seventh round the following season by the Oakland Athletics. He was traded to the Nationals prior to last season in a three-team deal with the Athletics and Seattle Mariners.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Nationals sent RHP Ryan Mattheus to Triple-A Syracuse to make room for Treinen.

2. Washington moved into first place in the NL East with Monday’s win.

2. The Dodgers have lost the opening game of a series six straight times with the other getting rained out.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 7, Nationals 0