Dodgers’ Hiroki Kuroda, now trade bait, loses 7-2 to Nationals

There’s speculation that Dodgers starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda is a leading candidate to be traded before baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline July 31.

Kuroda began Friday’s game against the Washington Nationals with a 6-11 record. But he still is seen as an asset for a pennant contender because the Japanese right-hander generally has pitched well this season while getting little run support.

So it was yet again Friday night, when Kuroda gave up three runs in the first two innings to Washington — including a two-run home run to Nationals starting pitcher John Lannan — that would prove too much for the Dodgers’ punchless offense.

Jerry Hairston’s grand slam in the ninth inning off Dodgers reliever Matt Guerrier blew the game open and the Dodgers fell to Washington, 7-2, for their fifth loss in six games.

The left-handed Lannan held the Dodgers to two runs (one earned) and three hits in 61/3 innings of work at Dodger Stadium in the opener of a nine-game homestand, and even those two runs came across on an error by Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond.

At one point, Lannan struck out the Dodgers’ Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and Juan Rivera in order.

Kuroda’s early mistakes, meanwhile, proved well beyond the Dodgers’ slim margin for error even though he held the Nationals scoreless for the next 41/3 innings.

Kuroda, 36, now has only one victory in his last 11 starts. In those 11 games, the Dodgers scored four or more runs only twice.

Kuroda “was a little rough early but as the game went on he got better and better,” Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said. “Obviously we’ve got to put some runs on the board.”

The Nationals scored their first run in the opening inning when Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-out double, stole second base and scored on Michael Morse’s double in front of an announced paid attendance of 39,839.

Kuroda had two out again in the second inning when Desmond singled and Lannan hit his first career home run, a line drive over the right-field fence that gave Washington a 3-0 lead.

Kuroda, speaking through an interpreter, said the pitch to Lannan “was a slider that did not break that much.”

Giving up a homer to the opposing pitcher “obviously is really disappointing,” Kuroda said, “but you just have to concentrate on the next hitter.”

The Dodgers came back to within one run in the fourth inning when Kemp walked, Rivera doubled and Juan Uribe hit a sharp grounder that got past Desmond for an error, enabling Kemp and Rivera to score.

Lannan had a second hit, a single, that gave Washington runners at first base and second base with one out in the seventh inning. That ended Kuroda’s night. But Dodgers relievers Scott Elbert and Kenley Jansen retired the next two batters to quash the threat.

Jansen also struck out the side in the eighth inning.

The Dodgers threatened in their half of the seventh inning when Aaron Miles stroked a one-out double and moved to third base when Tony Gwynn Jr. grounded out. But shortstop Rafael Furcal struck out looking. He was 0 for 4 and is batting .165.

james.peltz@latimes.com