LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers rarely lost this season and never panicked. So they weren’t about to start on Friday night, despite a 4-2 loss to Washington.

In a reversal from their Game 1 victory, the Dodgers fell behind early and never led as the Nationals tied the National League Division Series at a game apiece. In Division Series with the current 2-2-1 format, when the first two games get split, the club going home for Games 3-4 has gone on to win the series 21 of 34 times (62 percent).

Despite a shaky opening two innings, Clayton Kershaw regrouped and gave his club a chance. Max Muncy belted a home run and flipped his bat like a champ. And the offense, despite striking out 17 times to set a franchise postseason record, loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth before Dodgers castoff Daniel Hudson struck out Corey Seager to send the series to Washington tied.

“We’ve had a lot of success coming back at home,” Muncy said, citing 12 walk-off wins. “You never know what can happen when you start getting guys on. You saw the last inning, anything can happen.”

For six innings, the Dodgers were overmatched by 18-game winner Stephen Strasburg, who struck out 10 and allowed one run in six innings only three nights after throwing three scoreless relief innings in the Wild Card Game. Muncy homered off Sean Doolittle in the seventh. Possible Game 3 starter Max Scherzer made a special guest appearance to strike out the side in the eighth and bridge to Hudson.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who set up his rotation so he could use Kershaw in relief later, said he was surprised Scherzer appeared. His players said they weren’t.

“You know their best guys will come out, Boston did that last year,” Seager said, referring to the 2018 World Series loss. “Got to be ready for anyone.”

There’s no secret to Washington’s success. It’s starting pitchers Strasburg, Scherzer and Patrick Corbin. But they can’t pitch every inning. Yes, the Dodgers expect to see them often in multiple roles. But there’s only three of them, and the Dodgers make no secret of their goal: run up pitch counts, chase the starter and devour the bullpen.

“We always feel good if we have outs,” said Justin Turner. “We loaded them up in the ninth, one swing away from tying or winning the game. Doesn’t matter how it goes the first six or seven innings, we always feel we have a chance and we’ll get the big hit next time.”

Turner and Roberts noted that the Dodgers were surprised Strasburg threw so many breaking balls and threw them so well. The Dodgers love the fastball, and that’s what they were looking for.

“Just seems like he ran to his breaking ball a lot more than in the past,” said Turner, who had a sacrifice fly and doubled to start the ninth-inning threat. “We didn’t necessarily switch gears fast enough, I guess.”

After Turner greeted Hudson with the double, A.J. Pollock struck out and Cody Bellinger fouled out. Washington then broke the unwritten rule by intentionally walking Muncy, putting the tying run on base, so Hudson could face rookie Will Smith, who had broken up Strasburg’s perfect game with a two-out single in the fifth.

But Hudson walked Smith on four pitches to load the bases. Seager extended the at-bat until the eighth pitch, swinging through an inside breaking ball.

“I mean, we didn’t go away easy,” said Bellinger. “We’re just a few hits away from breaking out.”