Los Angeles @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 20, 2016 ) LA Dodgers 1, Washington 8

The absence of Clayton Kershaw continues to be felt in its trickledown effect on the Los Angeles Dodgers' pitching staff. The Dodgers will bring 19-year-old rookie Julio Urias back to fill a spot in the rotation when they visit the Washington Nationals in the rubber match of their three-game series on Thursday afternoon.

Kershaw was shut down on Wednesday due to lingering pain in his back and Hyun-Jin Ryu went back on the disabled list, forcing Los Angeles to push Bud Norris up a day and recall Urias from the minors after sending him down in part to limit his innings. Norris was pounded for six runs over five innings in Wednesday’s 8-1 setback, which gave the Dodgers their third loss in four games and marked the third time in five contests since the All-Star break the staff yielded at least six runs. Nationals All-Star slugger Bryce Harper belted one fastball from Norris halfway up the third deck in right field for his 20th home run but is just 3-for-20 with one extra-base hit since the break. Washington is working around the struggles of its biggest star as it has won six of its last eight games.

TV: 12:05 a.m. ET, MLB Network, SportsNet LA (Los Angeles), MASN2 (Washington)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers LH Julio Urias (1-2, 4.95 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Stephen Strasburg (13-0, 2.51)

Urias made his major-league debut on May 27 and was inconsistent in eight starts before getting sent back to the minors. The top prospect finished six innings only once and was ripped for five runs in 3 1/3 frames in his final appearance against Baltimore on July 4. Urias had one of his better efforts at home against the Nationals on June 22, when he allowed two runs and six hits in five innings without factoring in the decision.

Strasburg is trying to become the first pitcher to begin a season 14-0 since Roger Clemens in 1986 and is on a roll with fewer than two earned runs allowed in each of his last four starts. The former No. 1 overall pick started against Pittsburgh on Friday, when he allowed one run and three hits in eight innings to become the first National League starter since 1912 to start 13-0. Strasburg never has lost to the Dodgers, going 1-0 with a 1.71 ERA in four career starts.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Dodgers placed RHP Chris Hatcher (oblique) on the 15-day DL and announced LHP Alex Wood would miss eight weeks after undergoing elbow debridement.

2. Washington SS Danny Espinosa is 0-for-13 with seven strikeouts in his last three contests.

3. Los Angeles SS Corey Seager (stomach virus) missed the first two games of the series and is day-to-day.

PREDICTION: Nationals 6, Dodgers 2