Yasiel Puig, Clayton Kershaw lead Dodgers out of cellar, 8-0

Turns out baseball is an easy game. Simple, really. Virtually child’s play.

If your name happens to be Yasiel Puig.

Puig was at it again Tuesday, using another three-hit game to propel the scorching Dodgers past the Colorado Rockies, 8-0, pulling them out of last place and to within 2½ games of first in the National League West.

With a dominating Clayton Kershaw throwing a four-hitter for his seventh career shutout, the surging Dodgers claimed their ninth victory in 10 games. The last time they were not in last place was May 5; the last time they were closer than 2½ games behind was April 15.

That’s a pretty good 10 games.

These are suddenly very happy times for the Dodgers. They’re hitting well, pitching well and winning. Tuesday was such a good day for the Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants were no-hit and fell into last place.

Puig again was the catalyst in the 14-hit Dodgers’ attack. He has a team-high eight three-hit games. He’s played in 27 games.

On this little night of his baseball showcase, Puig had a single, a double off the right-field wall and then absolutely blasted a solo home run over the center-field wall of Coors Field, maybe a good 450 feet -- just to let everyone in Colorado know what all the excitement was all about.

It was the second consecutive game Puig had a shot at hitting for the cycle. Needing a triple Tuesday, he struck out in his last at-bat in the eighth inning.

The Dodgers scored twice in the second and third innings, and once in the fourth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings. Adrian Gonzalez had two hits, including a two-run homer. A.J. Ellis had two doubles. Hanley Ramirez, Andre Ethier and Juan Uribe each had two hits.

While the offense was rolling, Kershaw was dominating. If unaccustomed to such run support, he managed to deal with it rather well.

Kershaw (7-5) struck out eight, did not walk a batter and lowered his NL-best earned-run average to 1.93. All four hits he allowed were singles.

It was the 11th career complete game of Kershaw’s career, and only the 11th time in Rockies history they have been shut out at home.

The Dodgers, however, remain four games under .500 at 39-43 -- so they can’t get too carried away.