Clayton Kershaw earns majors' best 17th win as Dodgers beat Nationals

— -- LOS ANGELES -- Even the red-hot Washington Nationals offense proved no match for Clayton Kershaw.

Kershaw pitched eight strong innings for his major league-leading 17th win and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Washington Nationals 4-1 Tuesday night.

Kershaw (17-3) gave up three hits and one run, walked two and struck out eight to win his third straight start and lower his ML-leading ERA to 1.70. He also went 1 for 2 with a run scored at the plate.

"He spoils us, that's for sure," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "He's just so valuable for us."

The Nationals came in with 14 home runs in their previous four games, including four against the Dodgers on Monday.

Kershaw quickly quieted their bats, working through six shutout innings before giving up a solo homer to Bryce Harper in the seventh, his only blip of the night. It was the first homer hit by a lefty against Kershaw this season.

"He just didn't give us any opportunities," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "That's why he's doing so well. He's just not making any mistakes."

Kershaw retired 12 straight at one point and, with his eight strikeouts, surpassed the 200-strikeout mark for the fifth consecutive season.

"It's unbelievable how he just hits his spots. It's like a video game, to be honest. It's a joke," rookie  Carlos Frias (0-0, 5.65) will make his first major league start. The 24-year old rookie has allowed 13 hits and nine runs in 14 1/3 innings with the Dodgers this season. He was primarily a starter in Triple-A, going 8-4 with a 5.01 ERA.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.