Do Dodgers actually qualify as hot after winning fifth straight?

The Dodgers must really be on a hot streak if Clayton Kershaw actually won a game.

The Dodgers pushed their season-high winning streak to five games Wednesday, sweeping the San Francisco Giants with a 4-2 victory in front of 41,721 at Dodger Stadium.

Kershaw had been doing his usual outstanding job of late, but had precious little to show for it. He had not won a game in his previous six starts (0-3) despite a 3.38 earned-run average.

BOX SCORE: Dodgers 4, San Francisco 2

Kershaw earned his first victory since May 20 by holding the Giants to four hits in eight-plus innings. He struck out seven.

After the only walk he gave up in the game, Kershaw (6-5) gave up a two-run home run to Buster Posey in the fourth inning. And that was pretty much it for the Giants’ offense.

The Dodgers had taken a lead on a Hanley Ramirez run-scoring single in the third inning before Posey’s 10th home run put the Giants ahead, 2-1.

But the Dodgers broke through against Tim Lincecum with three runs in the sixth inning. Ramirez started it with a one-out single and steal of second base. Andre Ethier singled to drive in Ramirez and tie the score, 2-2.

Ethier then stole his first base this season and scored the go-ahead run when A.J. Ellis doubled to left field. Ellis moved to third base on a Juan Uribe infield hit and scored when Lincecum unleashed a wild pitch.

That was the end for Lincecum, who is 0-5 when matched up against Kershaw. Lincecum was 3-0 in his last four starts against the Dodgers.

Kershaw left after giving up a leadoff single to Marco Scutaro in the ninth inning. Kenley Jansen, throwing hard, closed it out for his sixth save.

The victory raised the last-place Dodgers’ record to 35-42, but pulled them within six games of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West. The Dodgers were 9 1/2 games back at the beginning of their winning streak.

The last time the Dodgers won as many as five games in a row was when they won six straight at the end of last season.

Wednesday marked the Dodgers’ first sweep of the Giants since a three-game sweep at AT&T; Park in July. It marked the first time they swept the Giants at Dodger Stadium since April 2009.