Max Scherzer allowed six hits over seven shutout innings Saturday night, and Brian Dozier hit a two-run homer for his 1,000th career hit as the visiting Washington Nationals scored a 4-1 victory at Petco Park in San Diego after two straight losses to the Padres.

Scherzer improved to 4-5 and lowered his ERA to 2.83. He issued one walk and struck out nine while throwing 101 pitches. In his last outing at Cincinnati on June 2, Scherzer struck out 15. And over his last four starts, Scherzer has given up two runs on 20 hits and five walks with 39 strikeouts in 27 innings.

Scherzer allowed more than one hit in only one inning Saturday night, with only three Padres advancing into scoring position.

The Padres' best opportunity against Scherzer came in the second, when Eric Hosmer and Franmil Reyes opened the inning with back-to-back singles and advanced to scoring position on Josh Naylor's comebacker. But Hosmer was out in a run down on Ian Kinsler's grounder to third, and Padres starting pitcher Eric Lauer struck out with the bases loaded to end the threat.

The Nationals, who blew leads in back-to-back 5-4 losses Thursday and Friday, wasted little time in getting on the board against Lauer (5-5), who entered the game with a career-best three-game winning streak.

Adam Eaton singled with one out in the first, advanced to second on a two-out single by Juan Soto and scored on a single by Howie Kendrick.

Kendrick drew a leadoff walk in the fourth ahead of Dozier's line-drive homer into the stands in left center.

The Nationals added their fourth run off Lauer in the fifth. Trea Turner opened the inning with a single, moved to second on a passed ball by Austin Allen and scored on Anthony Rendon's single. The hit stretched Rendon's streak of reaching base to 24 straight games.

Lauer allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts in seven innings. He also threw 101 pitches.

The Padres scored in the ninth on Allen's RBI single off Wander Suero. Sean Doolittle came on to get the final out and his 14th save.

Catcher Austin Hedges, who defeated the Nationals with a ninth-inning, walk-off single Friday night, was a late scratch from the Padres' lineup Saturday with a left ankle sprain.

--Field Level Media