Dodgers fall short in NLDS

St. Louis first baseman Matt Adams crushed a three-run home run into the right field seats in the seventh inning off Clayton Kershaw last night, erasing a 2-0 LA lead and ending the Dodgers’ post-season in the first round of the playoffs.

The Cardinals advance to play San Francisco in the NLCS while the Dodgers pack up for the off-season.

St. Louis remains alive in the hunt for a World Series title because in four games they came up with clutch home runs against Dodger pitchers, twice off of Kershaw, acknowledged as the best pitcher in the game.

In the two other losses the late-inning dingers came off of Los Angeles relievers.

The hue and cry from journalists and fans will call for Don Mattingly’s head and bemoan the fact that for two straight seasons the Cardinals will move on and the Dodgers are going home.

In his losses in Game One and Game Four, Kershaw cruised the first six innings then had it all unravel in the seventh.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals starters and relievers were able to keep the Los Angeles offense in check, save for Game One when the Dodgers put nine runs on the board in a 10-9 loss.

Here’s what we learned about the 2014 Dodgers, winners of the NL West and one of eight teams to make the playoffs:

1. Kershaw, Greinke and Ryu provide stellar starting pitching
2. The middle relievers failed to show, failing in several critical situations
3. Matt Kemp is back
4. Yasiel Puig is still learning the game
5. Hanley Ramirez, when healthy, is still a force at the plate
6. Adrian Gonzalez is a steady RBI producer
7. Carl Crawford has recovered from his injuries and is playing at a high level
8. Kenley Jansen is a shut-down closer
9. Dee Gordon is an emerging star
10. Juan Uribe can still bring it
11. A.J. Ellis is a great defensive catcher and can hit in a clutch
12. Andre Ethier should be starting somewhere
13. Justin Turner had  monster year off the bench

Mattingly had the pieces to go far in the playoffs but his players did not deliver at crunch time – the Cardinals did.

In the off-season the Dodgers will revisit their middle relief where a major investment did not pay off. Expect Ned Colletti to be shopping for some middle relief and setup help in the bullpen.

Aside from that, the Dodgers should stay the course. Kershaw getting beaten in the seventh inning twice in one series is an anomaly.

This team, with some tinkering in the pen, is good enough to win it all.

Cards have Dodgers on the brink

The Dodger bullpen, a big question mark going into the playoffs, faltered again tonight in a 3-1 loss to St. Louis that put Los Angeles on the brink of elimination going into Game Four of the NLDS tomorrow afternoon, down two games to one.

After Hyun-Jin Ryu held St. Louis to one run on five hits through six innings, Scott Elbert gave up a double down the left field line to Yadier Molina and a two-run home run to Kolton Wong that proved to be the winning margin.

Elbert joined Pedro Baez and J.P. Howell as relief pitchers that came into tight games in the series and promptly gave up the long ball. Baez came on in relief of Clayton Kershaw and gave up a three-run homer to Matt Holliday in the 10-9 loss in Game One. Howell came on for Zack Greinke in the eighth inning of Game Two and gave up the long ball to Matt Carpenter that tied the game at 2-2 before Matt Kemp hit the game-winning home run in the bottom of the eighth.

Going into the playoffs, Dodger manager Don Mattingly knew the middle of his bullpen was the team’s weak spot and his middle relievers have failed on three critical occasions.

The Dodgers will send Clayton Kershaw to the mound tomorrow afternoon on three days rest to try and force a Game Five back in Los Angeles where Grienke would get the ball.

St. Louis right-hander John Lackey, acquired in a late season trade from Boston, held the Dodgers to one run on five hits through seven innings and got strong relief performances from Pat Neshek and Trevor Rosenthal to shut down Los Angeles.

Hanley Ramirez and Carl Crawford had one-out singles in the ninth inning but Rosenthal was able to retire Juan Uribe and A.J. Ellis on fly balls to right field to end the game.

Ramirez had three hits in four trips, including a run-scoring double in the sixth inning that plated Yasiel Puig, who tripled down the right field line. Prior to his three-bagger, Puig had been fanned seven times in a row by St. Louis pitchers.

Kemp homer keeps Dodgers alive

Matt Kemp took a Pat Neshek pitch deep into the seats in left field in the bottom of the eighth inning tonight, giving the Dodgers a dramatic 3-2 win over St. Louis and knotting up the NLDS at one game apiece.

Kemp’s heroic shot staved off a Cardinals team that scored twice in the top of the eighth to tie the game on a two-run home run by Matt Carpenter, who has feasted on Los Angeles pitching the past two games.

The Dodgers led 2-0 going into the eighth behind two-hit pitching by Zack Greinke, who held St. Louis scoreless for seven innings, striking out seven.

Don Mattingly, looking for a left-handed pitching against left-handed batter match-up, called on J.P. Howell in the eighth but Oscar Tavares singled down the right field line and Carpenter took his first pitch high over the wall in right.

After blowing a 6-1 lead with Clayton Kershaw on the mound last night, the raucous Los Angeles crowd was stunned until Kemp got the bubbles flowing when he took a 2-1 slider deep into the crowd in left.

Kemp, who has battled injuries the past two seasons, was the NL Player of the Month in September and returned to form in the second half of the season.

The Dodgers built a 2-0 lead in the third inning when A.J. Ellis doubled to right center, Greinke punched a single to right field and Ellis scored on a ground ball to second baseman Kolton Wong. Greinke was originally called out on a tag at second but the play was reviewed and overturned, the replay showing Wong tagged Greinke with his glove while holding the ball in his hand.

Adrian Gonzalez then cashed in Greinke with a single to right and the Dodgers were up 2-0.

After Carpenter’s home run tied the game in the eighth, Howell gave up a single to John Jay and Mattingly called on Brandon League from the bullpen. League got Matt Holliday on a ground ball then induced Jhonny Peralta to hit into a double play, Miguel Rojas to Dee Gordon to Gonzalez.

Rojas was at shortstop as a defensive replacement for Hanley Ramirez and ranged to his left to make the play. Rojas made a brilliant stop on Peralta’s single to the hole but couldn’t make the throw in time.

Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth, getting Yadier Molina to ground out to Juan Uribe and striking out Wong and Randal Grichuk to end the game.

The Dodgers send Hyun-Jin Ryu to the mound for Game Three in St. Louis on Monday. Ryu hasn’t pitched since Sept. 12 with an aggravated shoulder but was cleared by the Dodgers’ medical staff earlier this week.

Cardinals knock out Kershaw in 10-9 slugfest

Clayton Kershaw was cruising going into the seventh inning of last night’s NLDS opener

in Chavez Ravine.

He had given up two hits, solo homers, but his offense had provided him a 6-2 cushion.

Then the world came crashing in.

St. Louis put together a string of six hits off the Dodger ace, the last being a bases clearing double by Matt Carpenter, and when Don Mattingly went to the mound to get Kershaw the Cards were up 7-6.

For Kershaw, who has owned the league this year, the stunning loss was a stark reminder of last year’s meltdown against these same Cardinals in the NLCS.

Pedro Baez came on to stem the tide but promptly delivered up a three-run homer to Matt Holliday, giving St. Louis a 10-6 lead and an eight-run inning.

The Dodgers answered with two runs in the eighth on an Adrian Gonzalez two-run homer and a run in the ninth but Trevor Rosenthal was able to strike out Yasiel Puig in the bottom of the ninth with the tying run 90 feet away.

On a night when pitching let them down, the Dodgers pounded out 16 hits. St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright gave up six runs on 11 hits in 4.1 innings as the much awaited pitching duel of aces turned into an offensive display by both teams.

A.J. Ellis, hitting under .200, broke out with a 4-for-5 night, including a two-run home run. Matt Kemp had three hits in five trips and Puig, Hanley Ramirez and Carl Crawford had a pair of hits each for Los Angeles.

Andre Ethier had a big pinch-hit double in the ninth that led to a Dodgers’ score but the rally ended a run short.

The Dodgers will try to even the series tonight with Zack Greinke (17-8, 2.71) taking the hill against Lance Lynn (15-10, 2.74)

Nostalgia creeping in as Dodgers ready for playoffs

Twenty-six years.

The last time the Dodgers won the World Series I was living in North Florida and my little girl was three years old.

Hannah is now 28 and the mother of the two best grandchildren in the world.

In 1988 Kirk Gibson “hit the miracle on one leg homer” and Orel Hershiser earned the nickname Tommy Lasorda strategically placed on him, “Bulldog.”

With apologies to Cubs fans, we have been waiting a long time.

The Dodgers have been a part of my life as long as I can remember. They arrived in Los Angeles for the 1958 season and promptly won the Series in 1959, beating the Chicago White Sox in six games.

Crowds for each of the three games at the Los Angeles Coliseum exceeded 92,000, setting a World Series attendance that will never be broken.

I was two years old at the time and do not remember one pitch of that series.

The Dodgers won it all again in 1963 and 1965, taking down the Yankees and the Twins.

Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale were in their primes and I was eight years old in 1963, experiencing my first games at Dodger Stadium where my Mom would take me and a few buddies to sit in the 75-cent seats in the left field pavilion.

The first time I walked up those steps and gazed out onto the field I was amazed at how green the grass was. We didn’t have grass like that on our Little League field in Bell Gardens.

Though making it to the Series three times in the Seventies, the Dodgers came up dry until 1981 when they took down the Yankees with Fernandomania in full bloom.

I was living in Utah at the time, still a newlywed after marrying in 1979.

The World Series drought lasted 11 years until the 1988 championship and now in 2014 the Dodgers have a shot.

Twenty-six years later.

It could happen.

Dodgers close out regular season with five-game win streak

Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez and Roger Bernadina went yard, Zack Greinke earned his 17^th win and the Dodgers wrapped up the 2014 regular season with a 10-5 win over the Rockies yesterday.

The Dodgers will host St. Louis in the opening game of the National League Division Series on Friday when 20-game winners Clayton Kershaw (21-3, 1.77) and Adam Wainwright (20-9, 2.38) take the mound.

St. Louis eliminated Los Angeles a year ago in the NLCS and come into the playoffs as the NL Central champs, edging out Pittsburgh for the division title.

San Francisco and Pittsburgh will play in a one-game Wild Card play-in Wednesday for the right to meet NL East champion Washington.

Los Angeles finished with a 94-68 record, second best in the NL behind the Nationals.

The Dodgers hope to get Hyun-Jin Ryu back for the playoffs. Sidelined with a shoulder injury, Ryu has been rehabbing the shoulder for several weeks and has shown some progress, throwing a bullpen yesterday.

Ryu could be a key in the playoffs, providing Los Angeles with three strong starters at the top of the rotation. If Ryu cannot go, the Dodgers will go to Dan Haren, who has emerged as a solid No. 4 starter.

If the Dodgers are able to advance in the playoffs they will need to continue the torrid hitting they have exhibited the final weeks of the season where the likes of Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford and Juan Uribe have been lights out.

Dee Gordon and Yasiel Puig figure to be critical to LA’s success. Gordon is the major league leader in stolen bases but did not finish strong. Puig hit .276 in the final 30 games of the season and though showing flashes of brilliance has been inconsistent.

Gonzalez finished with a major league high 116 RBI and 27 homers to lead the Dodgers in both categories. Kemp had a strong second half, finishing with a .287 average, 25 homers and 89 RBI.

Ramirez, who has played through injuries most of the season, finished with a .283 average, 13 homers and 71 RBI in 128 games.

Crawford peaking as Dodgers head to post season

Carl Crawford went 2-for-4 last night as the Dodgers scored six runs in the sixth inning to down Colorado 7-4 a day after clinching the NL West.

Roberto Hernandez went 5.2 innings, gave up three runs on six hits and walked four. Hernandez probably failed to show Don Mattingly why he should be given the ball in the playoffs.

Hyun-Jin Ryu, continuing his rehab, pitched off the mound and the Dodgers are optimistic he will be ready to pitch in the playoffs, giving the Dodgers the rotation of Kershaw, Greinke, Ryu and Haren in October.

Crawford, who was the forgotten man in the blockbuster trade that brought Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett to Los Angeles, has found his stride in the month of September.

Over his past 30 games, Crawford is hitting a sizzling .392 with three homers and 16 RBI. Juan Uribe (.378), Hanley Ramirez (.341) and Matt Kemp (.313) have also been wielding hot bats during that period, driving the Dodgers strong showing down the stretch.

A year ago the Dodgers faltered when Ramirez went down in the NLCS. This year, the Dodgers have more firepower in the lineup with Adrian Gonzalez leading the majors in RBI, Dee Gordon leading the majors in steals, Yasiel Puig warming up and Justin Turner, Andre Ethier and Scott Van Slyke giving Mattingly plenty of options off the bench.

As it has been all season, the biggest question marks for the Dodgers are in the bullpen where middle relievers have been inconsistent. Mattingly has some key decisions to make for the 25-man playoff roster. Right-hander Pedro Baez has made a push to join Kenley Jansen, J.P. Howell, Brandon League, Brian Wilson and Jamey Wright on the playoff roster.

Chris Perez, Paco Rodriguez, Carlos Frias, Kevin Correia and Scott Elbert would appear to be on the bubble.

Minor-league sensation Joc Pederson has appeared over-matched in his major-league debut and does not figure to play a role in the playoffs.

Los Angeles will have home field advantage for the NLDS against either St. Louis or Pittsburgh, separated by only a game on this final weekend of regular season play.

Dodgers trying to end 26-year drought

With the winning of the National League West last night, the Dodgers cemented a place in the playoffs, where they will most likely meet the St. Louis Cardinals, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs a year ago with a four games to one spanking in the NLCS.

The 2014 edition of the Dodgers will try to do something the team has failed to do since 1988, advance out of the National League and earn a berth in the World Series.

In 2013, 2009 and 2008 the Dodgers advanced to the NLCS only to lose one-sided series to the Cardinals and twice to the Phillies.

In 2004 and 2006 the Dodgers made it to the National League Division Series only to lose to St. Louis and New York.

The Dodgers last won a World Series in 1988 when Orel Hershiser and Kirk Gibson led the way over Oakland.

The Dodgers also won it all in 1981, taking down the Yankees with Fernando Valenzuela, Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager being the catalysts.

The Dodgers made it to the World Series in 1974, 1977 and 1978, coming up short against the A’s and twice to the Yankees.

Los Angeles won it all in 1963 over the Yankees and 1965 over the Twins but were swept in the 1966 series by the Orioles.

The Dodgers arrived in Los Angeles in 1958 and promptly won it all in 1959, defeating the White Sox with Larry Sherry named MVP.

The franchise has won five world championships in Los Angeles, nine pennants and made 18 playoff appearances. The Brooklyn Dodgers won one title.

Dodgers clinch NL West with 9-1 romp over Giants

This time the bubble machine wasn’t the only thing making bubbles at Dodger Stadium.

Los Angeles celebrated winning the National League West by breaking out the bubbly tonight after crushing San Francisco 9-1.

Clayton Kershaw (21-3) pitched eight innings and Yasiel Puig dazzled the sellout crowd with an opposite field home run at the plate and another highlight reel putout throw from center that cut down San Francisco’s Gregor Blanco trying to go from first to third on a single to right center.

Kershaw helped his own cause in the fifth inning when he tripled off Tim Hudson to score Carl Crawford and tie the score at 1-1.

The Dodgers then opened the floodgates in the sixth inning when Puig drilled an 0-2 pitch into the bleachers in right field, Matt Kemp doubled to right center, Hanley Ramirez drew an intentional walk and Crawford doubled to right to score two. Juan Uribe then capped the scoring with single to left that scored Crawford and the Dodgers were up 5-1.

The Dodgers put the game out of reach in the eighth with another four-run inning keyed by four walks, a hit batter and a single by Uribe that plated two runs.

Kershaw scattered eight hits over eight innings and struck out 11, lowering his major league-leading ERA to 1.77.

Brian Wilson, the former San Francisco closer, pitched the ninth inning and after giving up a double to open the inning retired the side in order.

With the final weekend of the regular season left to play, the Dodgers figure to meet St. Louis in the National League Division Series, a rematch of last year’s National League Championship Series won by the Cardinals.

Turner, Kemp go yard in Dodgers 4-2 win over Giants

With San Francisco lefty Madison Bumgarner on the mound, Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly loaded his lineup with right-handed batters tonight, starting Justin Turner at second base and Scott Van Slyke in left field.

The strategy paid off in spades as Turner took Bumgarner deep twice and Van Slyke went 2-for-3 in a 4-2 win for Los Angeles that put the Dodgers up 4.5 games in the NL West with four games to play.

Clayton Kershaw will take the hill tomorrow as the Dodgers look to clinch the pennant at home against the Giants.

The Dodgers started quickly against Bumgarner (18-10) when Turner led off the bottom of the first with home run to left field. After Yasiel Puig was hit in the foot and both benches cleared, Matt Kemp crushed a fastball over the fence in center for a 3-0 lead.

Turner added a second homer in the eighth off of Bumgarner when he jacked a breaking ball into the seats in left field.

Bumgarner brought the Giants back into the game with a two-run homer off of Zack Greinke in the third inning but that would be all the scoring the Giants would get off Greinke, who went eight innings and allowed six hits to improve to 16-8 on the season.

Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth, giving up one hit before closing the affair.

The win reduced the Dodgers’ magic number to one, meaning a Los Angeles win or San Francisco loss in the final games of the season would clinch the NL West title for the Dodgers.

Dodgers fall in 13 innings

Dan Haren pitched a one-hitter through seven innings, matching San Francisco’s Jake Peavy pitch for pitch, but in the end of a 13-inning marathon last night it was the Giants in a 5-2 decision.

San Francisco’s win kept the Dodgers’ magic number at three and closed the gap in the NL West to 3.5 games with five games left in the regular season.

Los Angeles committed three errors, the most costly a breakdown in communication in the outfield when Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp got crossed up on a fly ball in right center that bounced off Kemp’s glove for a three-base error off the bat of Gregor Blanco. Blanco scored on a sac bunt by Joe Panik to give the Giants their second run.

Blanco opened the game with a home run to right off of Haren, the only hit surrendered by Haren on a night his control was laser perfect, allowing him to record seven strikeouts despite rarely throwing a pitch more than 90 mph.

The Giants threatened to take the lead in the 11^th inning when Brandon Crawford singled to center and Brandon Belt tried to score from second. In what could be the Dodgers’ defensive play of the year, Puig gathered the ground single and fired a strike to Drew Butera that cut down Belt at the plate.

Carl Crawford homered in the fifth inning and Juan Uribe doubled to center, scoring on a Dee Gordon sac fly as the Dodgers evened the score at 2-2.

Then the Dodger bats went silent as San Francisco’s pitchers pieced together six innings of no-hit ball.

San Francisco finally broke through with three runs in the 13th off of Kevin Correia.

The Dodgers send Zack Greinke (15-8, 2.76) to the hill tonight against Giants’ ace Madison Bumgarner (18-9, 2.91) in what could be another pitcher’s duel.

Kemp sparks Dodgers to 8-5 win over Cubs

Matt Kemp went 4-for-5, including a two-run homer to right field, and knocked in four runs and the Dodgers’ bullpen pitched by committee in Chicago today as Los Angeles posted an 8-5 win over the Cubs to move 4.5 games ahead of San Francisco with six games to play.

The Giants dropped an 8-2 decision to San Diego, which swept the Giants in a critical three-game set.

Jamey Wright, Carlos Frias, Chris Perez, Paco Rodriguez, Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen made mound appearances in the win as Dodger manager Don Mattingly set up his rotation to pitch Dan Haren, Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw against the Giants Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Wright pitched two innings and gave up one run, Frias went three innings and gave up three runs and Baez gave up one run in his inning on the mound. Perez, Rodriguez and Jansen pitched scoreless ball.

Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Carl Crawford and Juan Uribe each had a pair of hits in the Dodgers’ 16-hit attack against Chicago’s Jacob Turner and four relief pitchers.

After falling behind 5-2 the Cubs closed the gap to 5-4 before the Dodgers scored single runs in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings.

The Dodgers open a three-game series against the Giants tomorrow night in Chavez Ravine.

Dodgers’ pen squanders lead in 8-7 loss to Cubs

Up 7-2 in the seventh inning, the Dodgers dropped an 8-7 heart breaker to Chicago today as J.P. Howell and Brian Wilson were tagged for home runs, giving up six runs in the seventh and eighth innings.

The loss wasted a two home run day by Adrian Gonzalez, a circus catch in center field by Yasiel Puig and an 11-hit performance by the Dodgers’ offense.

The only saving grace of the day came in San Diego where the Padres downed the Giants 3-2 to keep the Dodgers 3.5 games ahead of San Francisco with seven games to play.

Los Angeles will send spot starter Jamey Wright (5-4, 4.30) to the mound tomorrow to set up a Haren, Greinke, Kershaw rotation for next week’s three-game showdown with the Giants that starts Monday.

At 88-67, the Dodgers have the second-best record in the National League behind the Washington Nationals and fourth-best record in the majors behind Baltimore, Los Angeles Angels and the Nats.

Since the All-Star break, Los Angeles has been hitting well, sporting a .265 team batting average, third best in the majors.

Since the break, the lineup has been formidable with reserve Justin Turner at .373, Juan Uribe at .325, Gonzalez at .324, Carl Crawford at .317, Scott Van Slyke at .310, Matt Kemp at .299, Hanley Ramirez at .297, Dee Gordon at .294 and Yasiel Puig at .283.

Kemp has hit 14 homers and knocked in 45 runs in the second half and is returning to All-Star form after several years struggling with injuries. Gonzalez leads the league with 111 RBI and has hit 25 homers. Kemp has gone yard 22 times, 14 coming in the second half.

Dodgers unleash long ball in 14-5 win

On a night when Clayton Kershaw looked beatable, the Dodgers played long ball with four home runs enroute to a 14-5 win over Chicago.

While the Dodgers were roughing up the Cubs, San Diego was posting a 5-0 whitewash of the Giants to allow Los Angeles to build a 3.5 game lead in the National League West with eight games to play in the regular season.

Matt Kemp started the onslaught with a three-run shot to left in a six-run first inning, A.J. Ellis hit a pair of two-run dingers and Yasiel Puig added a three-run blast as the Dodgers put up 13 hits against Chicago’s pitchers.

Cub’s starter Edwin Jackson didn’t make it through the first inning but the Dodgers kept hitting, scoring twice in the third and six times in the sixth inning.

Kershaw went five innings and gave up three runs on seven hits, walked three and struck out nine on a day he battled with control and the wind blowing out at Wrigley Field. Despite the rough outing, Kershaw became the first 20-game winner in the majors, improving to 20-3. 

Jamey Wright, Scott Elbert, Brandon League and J.P. Howell pitched in relief, Howell getting tapped for two meaningless runs in the ninth.

With three games against the Giants looming next week in Los Angeles, the Dodgers are finding their strokes in the batter’s box.

Adrian Gonzalez leads the league in RBIs and Kemp, Puig, Juan Uribe and Carl Crawford have been on fire since the All-Star break. If Hanley Ramirez heats up, the Dodgers will go into the playoffs with one of the most potent offenses in baseball.

Los Angeles will send Roberto Hernandez to the hill tomorrow in Chicago. Hernandez didn’t get out of the fourth inning in his last start so Dodgers' skipper Don Mattingly will have the bullpen ready to go.

Dodgers mount comeback to down Cubs

Going into the seventh inning of last night’s match up with the Cubs, the situation looked dire.

Chicago held a 4-1 lead, Zack Greinke was on the bench after giving up four runs in five innings and Los Angeles had been held to one run on five hits off of Tsuyoshi Wada and reliever Justin Grimm.

The Dodgers were staring at their third straight loss.

Matt Kemp started the inning with a line drive to left that stayed in the park only because the winds off Lake Michigan were blowing in and held his fly ball within the ivy of Wrigley Field.

Hanley Ramirez then blistered a ground ball off the glove of Logan Watkins at second and Mattingly pinch-hit Carl Crawford for Scott Van Slyke. Crawford rewarded his skipper with a sharp single to right and the Dodgers had runners on first and second with one out.

Juan Uribe then handcuffed Watkins with a one-hopper to second that he booted, allowing Ramirez to score and putting runners on first and second.

Mattingly continued to move the chess pieces around the board, pinch-hitting Andre Ethier for A.J. Ellis. Ethier swung and missed on Neil Ramirez’ first offering, a breaking ball in the dirt then took the second pitch, another breaking ball.

On the third pitch of the at-bat Ethier got what he was looking for – a 95 mph fastball and drove the pitch into the gap in left center for a double, scoring Crawford and putting runners on second and third.

Justin Turner pinch-hit for Paco Rodriguez and hit a soft bouncer to third, scoring Uribe and moving Ethier to third. With the score knotted at 4-4, the Cubs played the infield in and Dee Gordon slapped a double past Luis Valbuena at third, scoring Ethier.

The Dodgers stretched the lead to 6-4 when Yasiel Puig lined a single to center to score Gordon. Los Angeles added two insurance runs to make the final 8-4.

Paco Rodriguez, Pedro Baez, Brian Wilson and Kenley Jansen pitched in relief, shutting out Chicago over the final four frames.

With the win, the Dodgers picked up a half-game on idle San Francisco and lead the NL West by 2.5 games with nine to play.

Clayton Kershaw (19-3, 1.70) takes the hill today against Edwin Jackson (6-14, 6.09) as the lefty goes after his 20^th win.

Colorado rocks Dodgers 16-2

Injuries are a part of baseball and pitchers, who throw the ball between 90 and 100 mph, seem to be more prone to those injuries.

It was a sore shoulder that put Hyun-Jin Ryu on the sidelines today and Carlos Frias on the mound. Frias didn’t last long.

Frias gave up eight runs on 10 hits and didn’t make it out of the first inning as Colorado, mired in last place, beat up on the first-place Dodgers 16-2. In Arizona, the Giants scored twice in the top of the ninth to post a 4-2 win and pull to within two games of the lead in the NL West.

Kevin Correia came on in relief for Los Angeles but was ineffective as well, giving up six runs on five hits as the Rockies did to the Dodgers what Los Angeles did to San Francisco last Saturday night – put up 15 plus runs and pound out more than 20 hits.

Frias’ shelling underscores how sorely the Dodgers miss Ryu, Josh Beckett, Chad Billingsley and even Stephen Fife and Paul Maholm, all on the DL.

As the Dodgers head down the home stretch in a pennant race with the Giants they have Kershaw and Greinke at the top of the rotation but then drop off to Haren and Roberto Hernandez, who have been spotty at best. Haren had a good run in August but did not have a good outing in yesterday’s 10-4 loss.

Hernandez didn’t get through the fourth inning in his last start and does not evoke any confidence. Ryu had a cortisone injection in his sore shoulder on Monday and will test the shoulder this weekend. His return to the mound could be crucial if Los Angeles can hold off the Giants and get into the playoffs.

The Dodgers travel to Chicago for a four-game series with the Cubs tomorrow through Sunday then come back to Chavez Ravine to finish the season with three against the Giants and three against these same Rockies, who took two out of three this week with lopsided wins against Haren and Frias.

The Cubs are in last place in the NL Central and are 3-7 in their last 10 games.

San Francisco heads to San Diego for a four-game set with the Padres starting Friday, visit the Dodgers for three next Monday, then host San Diego for four games to end the regular season.

Dodgers stumble in Colorado

Dan Haren got touched up for five runs on four hits in five innings of work last night as the Dodgers dropped a 10-4 decision to the Rockies despite out-hitting Colorado 16-9.

Yasiel Puig hit his first homer since July and Justin Turner went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a pair of doubles filling in at short for Hanley Ramirez, who sat with a sprained elbow.

San Francisco posted a 2-1 win over Arizona to cut LA’s lead in the NL West to three games with 11 to play.

The Dodgers will send rookie Carlos Frias to the mound today in the series rubber match. Frias is getting the start in place of Hyun-Jin Ryu, sidelined with a shoulder injury. Ryu had a cortisone injection earlier this week and will test the shoulder later this week.

Puig, who got in a dugout dust up with Matt Kemp earlier this week about not scoring from second on a Kemp hit, is showing signs of coming out of a slump. 

Dodgers keep rolling with 11-3 dismantling of Colorado

Knotted in a 3-3 tie, the Dodgers exploded for eight runs in the sixth inning tonight enroute to an 11-3 win over Colorado.

Coupled with San Francisco’s 6-2 loss at Arizona, the Dodgers increased their lead in the NL West to four games with a dozen games left in the regular season.

Roberto Hernandez started for the Dodgers but went only 3.2 innings before he needed help from the bullpen. Paco Rodriquez rescued the Dodgers in the fourth, getting Charlie Blackmon to ground out to Hanley Ramirez with two outs and the bases loaded.

Pinch-hitter Justin Turner keyed the big inning in the sixth when he drilled the first pitch he saw from Rex Brothers into right field for a double, scoring two of the three runners on base. Dee Gordon then stroked a single to left, Yasiel Puig walked, Adrian Gonzalez lined a single to right for two more runs, Hanley Ramirez doubled to the gap in right center for another run, Carl Crawford scored Gonzalez with a sac fly and Juan Uribe doubled to center, scoring Ramirez.

The Dodgers racked up eight runs on seven hits during the hit parade to put the game out of reach.

The Dodgers scored two in the first inning on a two-run homer to right center by Matt Kemp and added another run in the fifth when Dee Gordon doubled on a soft fly to right and Gonzalez drilled a double down the right field line. Kemp went yard for the second game in a row.

Jamey Wright, Pedro Baez, Brandon League, Brian Wilson and Chris Perez each pitched an inning in relief, holding the Rockies to no runs on four hits over the final five innings. Perez pitched the ninth, striking out the side.

Uribe went 3-for-4 to lead the Dodgers and Gonzalez had two hits in five trips and three RBI to push his NL leading total to 106 on the season.

Gordon, Puig and Ramirez each added a pair of hits as the Dodgers racked up 15 hits off of Colorado starter Christian Bergman and six relievers.

Dodgers take crucial 4-2 win over Giants

All the chips were on the table.

San Francisco had whittled the Dodgers’ lead in the NL West to two games and sent Yusmiero Petit to the hill to face Clayton Kershaw, seeking his 19^th win against only three losses.

It was pennant race baseball, where the adrenalin flows a little faster and rivalries get a little more intense.

The Dodgers posted a 4-2 win in the rubber match game yesterday with Matt Kemp hitting a two-run homer and Kershaw holding the Giants to a pair of runs on seven hits in eight innings of work. With the win, the Dodgers increased their lead in the NL West to three games.

The Dodgers plated two runs in the second inning when Hanley Ramirez got aboard on an infield single and Juan Uribe stroked a base hit to right field. Ramirez headed for third as Hunter Pence fielded the ball near the foul line. Pence’s throw to third skidded past Pablo Sandoval and Ramirez headed for home. Petit, backing up the play, gathered the errant throw but his relay to home eluded Andrew Susac, allowing Ramirez to score and Uribe to advance to third.

Up 1-0, Los Angeles increased the lead to 2-0 when A.J. Ellis lifted a fly ball deep enough to right field that allowed Uribe to tag and score.

San Francisco got on the board in the bottom of the third when Petit drew a walk, Joe Panik singled to center and Buster Posey drilled a single to left center for the run. Posey tried to advance to second on the play but Yasiel Puig gunned him down with a one-hopper to Dee Gordon.

The Dodgers padded the lead to 4-1 in the sixth when Adrian Gonzalez lined a double over the head of Angel Pagan in center and Matt Kemp crushed a 2-0 Petit slider deep into the seats in left center.

The Giants rallied in the seventh when Susac and Joaquin Arias singled and pinch-hitter Matt Duffy hit a bloop single to center that fell between Gordon and Puig, scoring Susac. With the tying runs on board, Kershaw induced Angel Pagan to hit a soft roller to Uribe to end the inning.

Despite having already thrown more than 100 pitches, Kershaw pitched the eighth inning, setting down Panik, Posey and Pence in order.

Kenley Jansen shut the door in the ninth, getting Sandoval to ground to third and striking out Susac and Arias with 95 mph cutters.

Kershaw struck out nine and walked one. His ERA stands at 1.70.

The Dodgers start a seven-game road trip today, kicking off a three-game series at Colorado followed by four games in Chicago against the Cubs.

The Dodgers then host the Giants and the Rockies in three-game sets to close out the regular season.

Dodgers blitz Giants in 17-0 laugher

Apparently the Dodgers had no ill effects from Friday’s 9-0 loss to the Giants.

Los Angeles responded to Friday’s embarrassment with a 17-run, 24-hit outburst that left the 41,533 AT&T Park crowd heading for the exits early.

The Dodgers scored four runs in the first inning and four in the second to put the game out of reach before the crowd had settled in. When all was said and done, the Dodgers had posted a 17-0 win over San Francisco and increased their lead in the NL West to two games.

Dodger offensive stars included Hanley Ramirez (4-for-5, 2 RBI), Matt Kemp (3-for-4, 3 RBI), Yasiel Puig (3-for-5), Carl Crawford (2-for-4, 3 RBI), Juan Uribe (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and winning pitcher Zack Greinke (2-for-3, 2 RBI).

Greinke doubled off the wall in the fourth inning then homered to left in the sixth. When he wasn’t feasting on San Francisco pitching, Greinke was busy holding the Giants to four hits through six innings and striking out five to improve his record to 15-8.

Juan Uribe and Scott Van Slyke also homered for the Dodgers, who chased starter Tim Hudson after one inning and put up five runs on seven hits off Tim Lincecum.

The game got so far out of hand for the Giants that San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy even brought in his son Brett for his major league debut. Bochy struck out Puig only to dish up a moon shot homer to Van Slyke.

The Dodgers will try to take the series rubber match tomorrow when they send Clayton Kershaw to the hill in an attempt to increase their lead in the NL West to three games.