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Dodgers take advantage of error-prone White Sox in 5-2 win

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner hits a two-run single during the sixth inning of the Dodgers' 5-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Monday.
(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
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The Dodgers know all about giving games away. They’ve excelled at it, struggling with their defense throughout most of the season.

But on Monday they got to experience this giving routine from the other side, the Chicago White Sox committing three errors -- two coming in the Dodgers’ decisive five-run sixth, when all five of the Dodgers’ runs were unearned.

With Clayton Kershaw back looking like a dominant pitcher, the Dodgers happily accepted the Chicago generosity to come away with a 5-2 victory before a Dodger Stadium crowd of 37,336.

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The White Sox and Dodgers entered the game tied for the fourth-most errors in the majors, both having committed 44. Some ties are meant to be broken.

Kershaw (4-2) made only one mistake in his eight innings. He gave up two runs on just four hits. He did not walk a batter and matched his season high with nine strikeouts.

Kershaw was just merrily going on his way early, not allowing a baserunner through the opening 3 1/3 innings, looking a lot like a guy determined to put his last outing (three runs, seven hits in seven innings) behind him.

But Gordon Beckham ended the early perfect-game bid with a line-drive single to center. And then came Cuban rookie sensation Jose Abreu, appearing in his first game since going on the disabled list May 18 with an ankle injury.

Abreu sent his 16th home run of the season out to left field on a line. It was a shot that seemed to get into the stands within a tenth of a second.

But after the fourth, the White Sox resumed going down quietly and eventually aided the Dodgers in their comeback. Kershaw actually got the rally going with a leadoff single in the sixth off Jose Quintana.

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One out later Matt Kemp sent a bouncer to Beckham at second. Beckham, who had already made a couple of nice plays, couldn’t come up with the bouncer and was charged with an error.

Yasiel Puig struck out, but the Dodgers came back with a five-run, two-out rally. Hanley Ramirez hit what should have been the third out, sending a bouncer to third baseman Conor Gillaspie. After gloving the ball, he appeared to have plenty of time to simply take a few steps and force out Kershaw at third.

Instead, Gillaspie hesitated before throwing to first – on a bounce that got past Abreu for a second error. That allowed Kershaw to score and the inning changed dramatically.

Adrian Gonzalez followed with a bouncing infield hit deep into the hole at second to score Kemp. Scott Van Slyke walked to load the bases. Justin Turner lofted a bloop hit just behind the reach of Beckham in shallow center and two more scored. Drew Butera added a run-scoring single, and the Dodgers had a 5-2 lead on the five unearned runs.

So their winning rally consisted of a single by the pitcher, an error, another error, an infield hit, a walk, a bloop single and another single.

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