Nationals scratch Stephen Strasburg with upper back strain

It was the seventh inning when the long, hot night began to exact its toll on Kershaw, and three of the first four hitters singled to score a run. Kershaw is 10-1 and has an MLB-best 1.58 ERA. The three-time NL Cy Young Award victor leads the majors in ERA (1.58), WHIP (0.66), strikeouts (133) and innings pitched (108.0). He hit a solo home run in the first inning, his seventh in his last 13 games.

According to an announcement from the Nationals, Strasburg has been scratched with an “upper back strain” and Nats’ right-hander Yusmeiro Petit will take his place tonight in the series opener in Dodger Stadium.

Next Game: The Washington Nationals (43-28) will play the second game of their three game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers (39-33) tomorrow night. Only once in his career has he pitched at least 200 innings in a season.

The 31-year-old is batting a majors-best.356 and is 2-for-5 with three strikeouts in a small sample size versus Tuesday starter Scott Kazmir.TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, MASN (Washington), Sportsnet Los AngelesPITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Tanner Roark (6-4, 3.14 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Scott Kazmir (5-3, 4.64) Roark improved to 3-0 in his last four outings despite yielding four runs on seven hits in six innings of an 8-5 victory over San Diego on Thursday. Strasburg has spent the better part of the past year reestablishing himself as a Prime-time pitcher and working almost as hard as Kershaw reportedly does.

Justin Turner homered and drove in two runs, and Joc Pederson also homered in the Dodgers’ sixth win in seven games.

“Everybody has difficulty with Kershaw”, Baker said.

In Arlington, Texas, Choo Shin-soo hit a go-ahead, two-run single, Ian Desmond homered halfway up the hill in center field and the streaking Rangers beat Baltimore in a makeup game matching the American League’s top two teams.

Turner put the Dodgers ahead in the first with his 10th homer, including five in his last eight games.

Kershaw, who struck out eight, fanned Harper in the first, fourth and sixth, emphatically winning a duel of the last two NL MVPs.

Due to injuries, Strasburg only threw 172 innings previous year for the Nationals.