Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw in total control in race
SAN FRANCISCO – Baseball etiquette dictates that teams in the driver's seat point out their pursuers still have a chance to catch them, and that's especially true for the Los Angeles Dodgers because they have three games left with the San Francisco Giants.
In addition, the Dodgers don't know when – or whether – left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu will be able to pitch again this season, after injuring his left shoulder Friday.
And the Giants remain dangerous challengers, having won 13 of their last 18 games.
With those disclaimers out of the way, the Dodgers have to feel pretty good about their three-game lead in the National League West, a more comfortable cushion than it might seem at first glance because of their favorable schedule the final two weeks of the season.
The Dodgers extended their margin with Sunday's 4-2 victory over San Francisco behind Clayton Kershaw, who helped tilt the big weekend series L.A.'s way after the clubs traded blowout wins.
Burnishing his credentials for a third Cy Young Award in four years, Kershaw held the majors' most prolific second-half offense to two runs in eight innings to become the majors' first 19-game winner. L.A. scored twice each in the second and sixth innings, the latter courtesy of Matt Kemp's towering home run off Yusmeiro Petit, and Kershaw and closer Kenley Jansen took care of the rest.
"It's obviously a huge series for us,'' Kershaw said after winning for the 16th time in 17 decisions since June 2, "and the way we did it to win the series is pretty cool.''
That was by recovering from a 9-0 pasting on Friday to return the favor with a 17-0 rout Saturday, then taking the rubber game behind their ace.
It was by no means a cakewalk, as the Giants made Kershaw battle for every out in throwing 110 pitches. The left-hander looked like he might be tiring after giving up three hits and a run in the seventh, but came out to retire the side in order in the eighth – including a strikeout of Buster Posey – before giving way to Jansen.
The three-pitch strikeout of Posey was especially impressive because the former MVP had hit two balls hard off Kershaw, including a third-inning single that drove in San Francisco's first run.
"We call him the big train because he just keeps coming,'' manager Don Mattingly said of Kershaw. "Even though Posey hit a couple of balls and squared him up, we knew he was going to be on the attack.''
The game represented a two-game swing in the standings – San Francisco would have cut the margin to one with a win – and since Kershaw came in with a career record of 7-2 and a 0.69 ERA at AT&T Park, the Giants knew they had little margin for error.
They committed two anyway, on throwing miscues by right fielder Hunter Pence and Petit in the same sequence in the second inning, facilitating the Dodgers' two-run rally. In addition, Posey got thrown out trying to stretch his RBI single into a double in the third, killing a possible rally.
"It's tough when you're facing a pitcher like Kershaw and you let them take that early 2-0 lead,'' Giants left fielder Gregor Blanco said. "That's when a pitcher gets even tougher.''
The Dodgers left town in a nearly ideal position as they seek to defend their division title. Sunday's victory improved their road record to a major league-best 45-29, and now they go on to play three games at Colorado's Coors Field and four at Chicago's Wrigley Field. The Rockies and Cubs, both last-place teams, have a combined mark of 124-174.
The overall picture looks even better for the Dodgers when considering six of their remaining 13 games – including the final three – will be against the Rockies, whom they have dominated with nine wins in 13 games.
That's why it was critical for the Giants to make headway in their weekend series in front of adoring sellout crowds. They went into Friday trailing by two games and now start a nine-game road swing – at Arizona, San Diego and L.A. – a bit farther back.
And when the longtime rivals meet again in Southern California from Sept. 22-25, Kershaw will be awaiting again, eager to continue his mastery of the San Francisco hitters.
"I look at it like we came in and we won a series, but you can give it right back,'' Mattingly said. "You go into Colorado and you don't play well, you give it right back. We can keep the pressure on by winning and just keep marching forward. We control our own destiny. That's what we've always said, just keep winning.''