Los Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kershaw delivers a pitch during the fourth inning of game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Stadium in Washington, DC on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw made a triumphant return to the mound on Tuesday after six weeks sidelined by a muscle strain in his upper back.
In his first start since the Dodgers’ season-opener in Australia on March 22, Kershaw pitched seven shut-out innings in an 8-3 Los Angeles victory over the Washington Nationals.
Kershaw gave up nine hits and struck out nine without a walk.
The left-hander threw 23-of-28 first-pitch strikes and didn’t give up an extra-base hit.
The Dodgers provided the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner—who inked a seven-year contract extension worth $215mn in January—with plenty of run support.
Hanley Ramirez went 3-for-5 at the plate with a home run and two runs batted in and Drew Butera belted a three-run homer in the victory.
Dee Gordon added two hits and a brace of runs scored, while Andre Ethier finished 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Los Angeles’ Yasiel Puig sat out a second straight game after his high-speed collision with the outfield wall on Sunday at Miami.
Meanwhile, Brian Roberts hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the ninth inning, giving the New York Yankees a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
New York starter Hiroki Kuroda gave up three runs (one earned) in 7 2/3 innings, striking out eight.
C J Wilson pitched eight innings of three-run ball for the Angels (16-16).
Robbie Ray won his Major League debut and Miguel Cabrera had four hits and drove in four runs to lead the Detroit Tigers to their seventh straight victory.
Ray, who was acquired from the Washington Nationals in an offseason trade, held the Astros scoreless until the sixth.
The 22-year-old left-hander was filling in for Detroit’s (19-9) Anibal Sanchez, who is on the disabled list with a right middle finger laceration.