Clayton Kershaw pitches Dodgers past White Sox

Clayton Kershaw scanned the visitors’ clubhouse at Guaranteed Rate Field. A 10-game winning steak, which the Dodgers reached for the second time in 2017 after a 1-0 victory over the White Sox on Tuesday, must include unsung contributors. Kershaw caught sight of the latest.

“John Pratt, best video guy in the league over there,” Kershaw said. “Got us an out.”

Pratt, the bespectacled video coordinator, flashed a thumbs up. Hunched behind a laptop inside the clubhouse, Pratt called to the dugout to challenge Kershaw’s pickoff of Tim Anderson in the seventh inning. After an initial call of safe, the replay review erased Anderson, ended the inning and allowed Kershaw to keep Chicago scoreless as the Dodgers improved to 30-4 in their past 34 games, a stretch of dominance unmatched since the 1977 Kansas City Royals.

Despite the historic implications, it was not a breezy evening for either the Dodgers or Kershaw (15-2, 2.07 ERA). He admitted to feeling “rusty” after a nine-day layoff, and struggled to harness his fastball. He gave up seven hits to the White Sox, which he offset with seven strikeouts.

The Dodgers (65-29) afforded Kershaw a slim margin for error. After an RBI single by Cody Bellinger in the first inning, the offense stalled in irritating fashion. They went one for 10 with runners in scoring position, stranded 11 runners and hit into four double plays. Manager Dave Roberts revealed some displeasure after the game with his team’s efficiency on offense.

“When we had guys on base, I didn’t think we had the right approach at the plate,” Roberts said. “There’s the result of having success, but there’s also the process. Tonight I just didn’t think we were good.”

The game offered a microcosm of one challenge for the Dodgers in the second half. The team holds a double-digit lead in the National League West. They appear capable of cruising into October, perhaps with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Yet Roberts does not want his group to grow complacent during the long summer.

“With our club, one through 25, I believe and I know we’re the best team,” Roberts said. “Every night, we take the field, we know that. ... We’ve got to stay focused on the process. We won a baseball game, which is the most important thing. But you’re not always going to be able to escape games like this.”

Kershaw deserved credit for keeping the White Sox at bay, despite his shaky control. He led the majors with 1321/3 innings in the season’s first half, so the team afforded him the extended break after the All-Star game. From the beginning Tuesday, though, he felt uneasy after the lengthy layoff.

“Nine days off, it’s not something I’m used to,” Kershaw said. “I’m thankful to get out of that unscathed, and get this win.”

The Dodgers faced a short-handed White Sox team Tuesday. About an hour before the game, Chicago announced designated hitter Todd Frazier as a “healthy scratch.” Reports emerged that the White Sox were close to shipping Frazier, closer David Robertson and reliever Tommy Kahnle to the New York Yankees. The deal was consummated after the game.

Kershaw gave up four hits in the first four innings. He walked Avisail Garcia in the first. Another batter reached on a catcher’s inference.

In the sixth, the White Sox stressed Kershaw again. There were runners at the corners with one out. The infielders converged around Kershaw on the mound. Yasmani Grandal informed Kershaw that the next batter, second baseman Tyler Saladino, might bunt. Kershaw responded by firing a fastball at Saladino’s fists. Saladino popped up the bunt attempt for the second out. Two pitches later, designated hitter Yolmer Sanchez grounded out to end the threat.

“He made pitches when he needed to,” Roberts said of his ace.

Kershaw returned for the seventh with his pitch count at 94. He retired the first two hitters on grounders toward the mound. Anderson, a first-round pick in 2013, was the third. He punched a slider into left for a single.

The hit upset Kershaw, but it did not unnerve him. He threw two pitches to Melky Cabrera, then turned his attention to Anderson. Holding the ball in his glove, Kershaw bobbed his head a few times at Anderson. Then he stepped toward first base and threw. Bellinger swept a tag across Anderson’s shoulder. He wasn’t sure if he made the play in time. “I just didn’t know for sure,” Bellinger said.

Pratt had the benefit of watching the replay. The review lasted less than two minutes. When the call got overturned, Kershaw jogged back to his dugout, another successful evening in the books.

The Dodgers did not play particularly well Tuesday. Kershaw battled himself as much as his opponents. The offense tripped over its own feet.

The victory still counted.

“We just keep finding different ways to win every night,” Kershaw said.

andy.mccullough@latimes.com

Twitter: @McCulloughTimes