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WASHINGTON -- Matt Kemp returned to the lineup with a home run and a double in the second inning, then limped off the field in the ninth. A too-good-to-be-true day for the Los Angeles Dodgers turned out to be just that. They completed a sweep of the Washington Nationals on Sunday with a 9-2 win that kept them a half-game out of first place in the NL West. The game marked the first time Kemp, Hanley Ramirez and Carl Crawford were in the starting lineup at the same time. It might be a few days before it happens again -- because Kemp hurt his left ankle sliding into home plate on a force play, a needless injury that came from lack of hustle. "Its not bad. I hope its not bad," Kemp said. "The biggest thing will be tomorrow when I wake up and see how it feels." Manager Don Mattingly said the injury appeared to be a sprain, and that no X-rays were planned. Nor did he expect Kemp to return to the disabled list. "Thats what I said last time, too," Mattingly said with a chuckle. Activated from the 15-day DL before the game -- he had left shoulder inflammation following off-season surgery -- Kemp led off the second with a homer that bounced among the cherry trees beyond the left-field stands. He then doubled home Andre Ethier in a seven-run inning against Jordan Zimmermann (12-5), quickly turning a much-anticipated matchup of All-Star aces into a rout. Clayton Kershaw (9-6) allowed two runs and two hits over seven innings with nine strikeouts and no walks, putting his major league-best ERA at 2.01. The Dodgers were 9 1/2 games out of first on the morning of June 22, but theyve since gone on a 20-5 splurge. Sundays win temporarily pulled them even with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who then moved a half-game ahead when they beat San Francisco 3-1 later in the day. While the Dodgers are brimming with confidence, the series was a nadir for the Nationals, who have dropped eight of 10 and lost all semblance of the "Natitude" that produced the best record in the majors a year ago. After losing close games Friday and Saturday because of a collapse in clutch hitting -- 2 for 21 with runners in scoring position -- the Nationals on Sunday looked like a once-promising TV series that has finally jumped the shark. They hit only six balls out of the infield in Kershaws seven innings, including two mostly meaningless homers by Jayson Werth after the game was well out of reach. Manager Davey Johnson experimented again with Bryce Harper batting leadoff; Harper went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. Adam LaRoche returned after missing two games with the flu and went 0 for 3. Scott Hairston started in place of Denard Span and went 0 for 3. Zimmermann, who has been battling a sore neck, lasted just two innings, the shortest outing of his career. "Theres a good attitude," Johnson said. "Im the one thats frustrated. Im the one that has trouble sleeping." Everyone in the Dodgers starting lineup except Kershaw scored at least one run, and even he had an RBI groundout. Kemp added another hit, an RBI single in the fourth. Ramirez lifted his average to .393 with a three-run homer and a single, and Crawford had three hits and a walk. Kemp also reached base with a walk in the ninth and was on third when Crawford hit a slow roller toward first with two outs. It would have been an infield hit had Kemp hustled home. Instead, he took his time and allowed the Nationals to make a play at the plate. He was hurt sliding into the catcher. "I wasnt running hard," Kemp said. "I took a hit away from CC. CC has every reason to be mad at me because that was my fault, and the results of me not running hard to home plate kind of tweaked my ankle a little bit." NOTES: Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig didnt start after going 0 for 9 with five strikeouts Friday and Saturday. "He seemed a little lost to me the last couple of days, just kind of confused at the plate," Mattingly said. ... It was the first road sweep for Los Angeles against the Nationals franchise since taking three from the Montreal Expos from May 24-26, 1996. ... The Dodgers optioned OF-1B Scott Van Slyke to the minors to make room for Kemp. Clearance NCAA Jerseys . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. Wholesale NCAA Jerseys China . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. https://www.chinajerseysncaa.us/ . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. Wholesale NCAA Jerseys .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. NCAA Jerseys Outlet . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Idaho has been largely uncompetitive in 21 seasons at the FBS level, so the program is dropping down to FCS status, beginning with the 2018 season.So it is no stretch to say the Vandals are probably the most unlikely participant of the 80 bowl teams this season.Idaho (8-4) concludes its next-to-last season as part of college footballs top level by playing in a bowl game for only the third time when it meets streaking Colorado State (7-5) in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Boise, Idaho.The Vandals made the decision to drop down a level after being dismissed from the Sun Belt Conference. The university figured it might enjoy more success and lose less money as an FCS school.So expectations were even lower than normal at the outset of this season and Idaho certainly didnt look like it was headed to its first winning campaign since 2009 or second in the past 17 seasons when it lost back-to-back September games to Washington and Washington State by a combined 115-20.Yet coach Paul Petrino kept the squad from crumbling and Idaho finished the regular season by winning four straight and six of its last seven. And saying the Vandals are reveling in the bowl berth would be quite the understatement.Thats one reason Im so proud of our players, Petrino said during a press conference. Theyve been kicked out of a conference and told they were going to change divisions. They never worried about that. They worried about playing one game at a time.The date with Colorado State will definitely be challenging for the Vandals. The Rams won four of their past five games, and put 63 points on the scoreboaard in a late-season road trouncing of Mountain West champion San Diego State.ddddddddddddColorado State averaged a scorching 47.4 points and 520.6 yards over its final five games and the four victories during the stretch were by an average of 26.5 points. The Rams are playing in a bowl for the fourth consecutive season, the second-longest streak in school history (five under Sonny Lubick from 1999-2003).Junior quarterback Nick Stevens tossed 14 touchdown passes against one interception over the final six games and standout junior receiver Michael Gallup (70 catches for 1,164 yards) had 11 touchdown receptions, second most in school history.Senior weak-side linebacker Kevin Davis posted a team-high 101 tackles as the leader of the defense.Our football team has consistently improved throughout this season by the way they have worked and learned to compete, and I believe we are playing our best football late in the season, Rams coach Mike Bobo said. We are appreciative of this invitation to play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and Im excited for this football team to have one more chance to play together, to keep improving and finish the season on a high note.The Idaho defense limited three of its last four opponents to 14 or fewer points. Sophomore middle linebacker Tony Lashley recorded a team-best 99 tackles.Vandals junior quarterback Matt Linehan passed for 2,803 yards and 15 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. He is the son of Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. ' ' '