LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gio Gonzalez scattered seven hits over eight scoreless innings, Ian Desmond hit two homers, and the Washington Nationals kicked off a 10-game trip with an 8-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.
Gonzalez (9-4) struck out six, walked one and stranded eight runners, helping the Nationals remain 1 1-2 games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets.
The left-hander, who won 21 games for Washington in 2012 after coming over from Oakland in a trade, is 5-0 with a 1.48 ERA in eight starts since losing 6-1 at Tampa Bay on June 15.