Clayton 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. Bryce Harper homered in the seventh for the Nationals' only run of the game. With the win, the Dodgers (78-61) moved one game behind the Nationals (78-59) for the National League's best record.