Just another Clayton Kershaw gem in Dodgers’ 5-1 victory
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Clayton Kershaw with a three-run lead heading into the seventh.
Could there be sweeter music to the Dodgers these days? Mozart meets Lennon.
It’s the closest thing the Dodgers will know to certain victory this season, and it worked just fine Thursday afternoon in the visiting Dodgers’ ultimate 5-1 victory over the Brewers.
The victory snapped Milwaukee’s six-game winning streak, and for the Dodgers salvaged the final game of the four-game series.
Kershaw fairly breezed through the game, cooling off a red-hit Brewers team that had won 19 of its last 21 games. And somehow he made it look easy.
Kershaw was dominant, and it’s getting to the point where that’s almost expected of the 23-year-old every outing.
The left-hander went eight innings, holding the Brewers scoreless on five hits. He did not walk a batter, struck out six and lowered his ERA to 2.60. Otherwise, he was OK. Kershaw actually seems to be getting better as the season progresses. He has won seven of his last eight starts, posting a 1.33 ERA.
For much of Thursday it appeared Kershaw was going to have to be at the absolute top of his game to make a 1-0 lead hold up.
Rod Barajas’ solo home run off Marco Estrada in the second inning gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. It was Barajas’ 11th home run of the season. The bad news for the Dodgers: That’s the second highest on the team and Barajas is basically a platoon catcher.
Through six innings, Kershaw made a 1-0 lead hold up.
The Dodgers, thanks partially so some shaky Milwaukee defense, finally broke through with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Buoyed by that offensive outburst, they added two more in the eighth.
With Estrada -- a spot starter -- out of the game, the Dodgers scored twice in the seventh with a two-out rally against Kameron Loe. Barajas doubled and Jamey Carroll bounced a single up the middle to score him.
Kershaw’s bunt went for an infield single, but Loe threw the ball away for an error to allow Carroll to score.
In the eighth an infield single off the glove of Prince Fielder by Andre Ethier and a Matt Kemp base hit put runners on the corners. A Juan Rivera sacrifice fly scored one and an Aaron Miles single a second.
The Brewers avoided being shut out when they scored a run off Javy Guerra in the ninth on a Ryan Braun triple and Fielder’s sacrifice fly.
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-- Steve Dilbeck