WASHINGTON — Scott Olsen pitched seven shutout innings for his first victory since having shoulder surgery in July and Matt Capps worked around a leadoff double in the ninth to preserve the Washington Nationals' 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.
The Dodgers' Chad Billingsley (1-1) gave up four hits and an Adam Dunn RBI groundout over six innings.
Olsen (1-1) allowed six hits, walked one and struck out eight in his third start since being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on April 15. The left-hander's disappointing 2009 season — 2-4 with a 6.03 ERA in 11 starts after being acquired in a trade from Florida — ended with surgery. He failed to make the Nationals out of spring training because of diminished velocity.
Tyler Clippard worked the eighth and Capps finished the seven-hitter for his major league-leading eighth save.
The Dodgers threatened in the ninth when James Loney opened with a double down the left-field line. But Capps got Casey Blake on a bouncer to second, right fielder Justin Maxwell made a diving grab of Ronnie Belliard's pop to short right and Garret Anderson flied out to center.
Olsen kept the Dodgers off balance for his first win over Los Angeles, the only National League team he had not beaten. Olsen was 0-3 against Los Angeles.
The Dodgers loaded the bases in the first on consecutive singles by Russell Martin, Matt Kemp and Loney. But Olsen fanned Blake and got Belliard to fly to center. The left-hander allowed only one runner to reach second base after that — Blake, on a one-out double in the fifth.
Washington took the lead in its half of the first. Nyjer Morgan led off with a single to left, Adam Kennedy drew a walk and both runners moved up on Cristian Guzman's sacrifice. Dunn's grounder to second scored Morgan.
Notes
After going 0-for-3 against Billingsley, Washington OF Josh Willingham is 0-for-11 in his career versus the right-hander. … 3B Ryan Zimmerman was out of the starting lineup for a fourth straight game with right hamstring soreness but hopes to play in the Nationals' series that begins Monday in Chicago. "It depends on how it feels tomorrow," he said after batting practice. "It's looking better and better each day." Zimmerman lined out as a pinch hitter in the seventh, and was under orders not to run hard. … Sunday marked the 34th anniversary of the day current Dodgers radio broadcaster Rick Monday, then a Cubs outfielder, prevented two students from burning an American flag on the field at Dodgers Stadium.