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Clayton Kershaw first to 20 wins as Dodgers roll over Cubs, 14-5

Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw struggled at times Friday afternoon against the Cubs but still picked up a major league-leading 20th victory in the 14-5 victory.
(Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)
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Remember, they all count the same now. The works of art, those that are uglier than sin and the what-exactly-was-that-again victory?

If anyone having trouble with what to make of the Dodgers’ 14-5 victory over the Cubs on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field had only to know this -- it was a victory and it reduced their magic number to clinching the division to seven games.

The Dodgers have eight regular-season games left, three against the second-place Giants. They have now clinched at least a tie for a playoff spot.

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Friday’s afternoon affair saw Clayton Kershaw become baseball’s first 20-game winner, even with his worst outing in four months.

It saw catcher A.J. Ellis, who had hit exactly one home run in 321 plate appearances all season, hit two in as many appearances Friday and drive in four runs off his new favorite pitcher, rookie reliever Eric Jokisch. And, yes, the wind was blowing out.

It saw Yasiel Puig, who had gone 35 consecutive games without a home run, hit his second in four days, this one a three-run shot to left that cleared the ballpark.

And it saw Dee Gordon -- a guy some were concerned was wearing down -- pick up a pair of hits, giving him seven consecutive multi-hit games, most on the team this season.

The Dodgers scored six times in the first inning -- three on Matt Kemp’s sixth home run this month and two on Ellis’ first homer.

Any other day, that would be game over. The Dodgers handed Kershaw (20-3) a 6-0 lead before he threw his first pitch.

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This was anything but a typical outing for Kershaw, who struggled in the first inning -- giving up three runs -- and in each of his five innings. It took him 27 pitches to get out of the first and 106 to go five innings.

He gave up three runs, seven hits and three walks, and struck out nine. It was only the second time this season he’d walked three in one game. Overall, it was his poorest outing since he was chased in the second inning in Arizona on May 17 (seven earned runs).

Still, it was a labor of love. He wanted to be sharper, and not have the Dodgers tap into their bullpen to preserve their all-hands-on-deck possibility for Sunday, so exited screaming into his glove. Still, it still left the Dodgers in position to win their second consecutive game and keep the pressure on the Giants.

The three runs jumped Kershaw’s ERA from 1.67 to 1.80, still the lowest mark in the majors. He has won 17 of his last 18 decisions, even if Friday did snap his streak of pitching at least seven innings at 17 consecutive starts.

The Dodgers’ six-run outburst in the first inning chased Cubs starter Edwin Jackson. They added another six-spot in the sixth. Their offense continued to show new life, even if it is against the Rockies and Cubs of the world. They collected 13 hits Friday.

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