Dodgers draw even with Giants

On June 9, Los Angeles trailed San Francisco by 9.5 games in the National League West.

Today, the Dodgers drew even with the Giants behind a 6-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals and a 4-0 San Francisco loss to Cincinnati.

Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw scattered five hits over seven innings, struck out 13 and improved his record to 9-2 on the season.

Los Angeles scored twice in the fourth inning and four times in the fifth inning to chase the Cards’ Shelby Miller.

Andre Ethier hit a three-run homerun and Adrian Gonzalez and Matt Kemp had a pair hits apiece to pace the Los Angeles attack.

Brandon League and Jamey Wright pitched the eighth and ninth innings in relief as Don Mattingly was able to rest Brian Wilson and Kenley Jansen for the second straight game.

The Dodgers took three of four from St. Louis, the team that knocked the Dodgers out of the playoffs a year ago.

With the seven innings of shutout ball, Kershaw extended his consecutive scoreless inning streak to 28, fifth on the Dodgers all-time list of Orel Hershiser (59), Don Drysdale (58), Don Sutton (35) and Sandy Koufax (33).

Kershaw finished his June outings with a 6-0 record and 0.82 ERA. The Dodger southpaw had 61 strikeouts in June, second behind Koufax.

The Dodgers welcome Cleveland to Chavez Ravine tomorrow through Wednesday with Dan Haren (7-4, 3.83) on the bump for Los Angeles in the series opener.

Dodgers breathing down the Giants’ necks

Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you. – Satchel Paige

Then it was one. One game is all that separates the Dodgers and the Giants in the National League West after Los Angeles clobbered St. Louis 9-1 last night and San Francisco imploded in a 7-2 extra inning loss to Cincinnati.

Zack Greinke (10-4) held the Cards to four hits over seven innings and struck out 10 as Los Angeles continued its march on first place.

The Dodgers put up a six-spot in the second inning on a series of bloopers and St. Louis blunders that included misplayed balls, dropped relays and overall weak defense.

Dee Gordon had a three-for-five night with two doubles and an RBI with Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and A.J. Ellis each contributing a pair of hits in 15-hit outburst.

Paul Maholm and Chris Perez mopped up for Greinke out the pen. Perez walked two and hit a batter in the ninth but still closed out the game without surrendering a run.

While the Dodgers were caging the Redbirds, San Francisco continued its slide up north. Cincinnati’s Brandon Phillips hit a two-run homer off of Giants’ closer Sergio Romo in the top of the ninth for a 2-1 lead.

San Francisco’s Buster Posey tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with a laser shot double to left but the Giants’ pen then gave up five runs in the 11^th to lose again.

The Dodgers will try to take three of four from St. Louis today when Clayton Kershaw (8-2) goes to the hill against Shelby Miller (7-6).

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Beckett outduels Waynewright

Josh Beckett continued pitching like he has been sipping from the fountain of youth, Justin Turner knocked in the lone run and Matt Kemp made a critical throw to home in the late innings last night as the Dodgers downed the Cards to pull within two games of San Francisco in the National League West.

Beckett and Waynewright went pitch for pitch, but it was the St. Louis ace who blinked when Turner drove a single to left to break the logjam and give Los Angeles a key victory.

Kemp's laser throw to the plate gunned down Allen Craig and kept the Cards from getting on the scoreboard.

During the game, Dodger manager Don Mattingly told pitching coach Rick Honeycutt that the team would get his pitcher a run but that would have to be enough.

Talk about premonitions.

The Dodgers were 9.5 games back of the Giants two weeks ago and have made another June run to get back in the hunt. Last year the Dodgers made a historic run starting in June that propelled them to the NL West title and a run into the playoffs.

Dodgers fans are hoping the June awakening in 2014 will lead to a similar result.

Kershaw handcuffs Kansas City

So how do you follow pitching a no-hitter in your last outing?

Dodger ace Clayton Kershaw (8-2) continued his dominance Tuesday, scattering six hits over eight innings and striking out eight in a 2-0 win over the Royals.

Coupled with San Francisco’s 7-2 loss against San Diego, Los Angeles pulled to within three games of the Giants in the National League West.

Los Angeles scored once in the first inning and once in the ninth to give Kershaw all the cushion he needed. Kenley Jansen pitched a hitless ninth to preserve the shutout, striking out two to close down the Royals.

Justin Turner sparked the Dodgers in the first inning with a triple to right field. Turner scored on a ground out by Adrian Gonzalez.

The Dodgers added an insurance run in the ninth when Andre Ethier singled home Gonzalez, who had walked and moved into scoring position on a single by A.J. Ellis.

The Dodgers send Dan Haren (7-2, 3.62) to the hill tomorrow in the rubber match against Kansas City before heading back to Los Angeles for a home stand that includes visits from St. Louis and Cleveland.

Ryu keeps Dodgers rolling

Hyun-Jin Ryu tossed a four-hitter through six innings and the Dodgers posted a 2-1 win in San Diego today to stay four games behind San Francisco, winners against Arizona.

J.P. Howell, Brian Wilson and Kenley Jansen finished strong on the mound, striking out four and keeping San Diego hitless. Jansen struck out the side in order in the bottom of the ninth.

The Dodgers scored once in first and once in the second innings and that was all Ryu needed to improve his record to 9-3.

Hanley Ramirez started the scoring with single to left, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an Adrian Gonzalez ground out.

Scott Van Slyke scored the eventual winning run in the second when he singled to left, moved to second on a walk, moved to third on Ryu sacrifice and scored on a Dee Gordon single to right.

The Dodgers hit the road for interleague play against Kansas City tomorrow with Zack Greinke on the hill against his former teammates.

Jansen gets shot at redemption

The life of a closer often hinges on just a few pitches.

Unlike starters, who can pitch out of jams and recover from bad innings, closers usually get about 10 pitches to earn their keep.

Kenley Jansen, the Dodgers’ closer, had a veritable meltdown on Friday night, giving up three runs on three hits and blowing a 5-2 lead that disintegrated into a 6-5 loss.

Adding sting to the wound was a Giants loss that could have closed the gap in the NL West to three games. Instead, Los Angeles remained four games back.

Last night, Jansen got the call again with the Dodgers up 4-2 over the Padres. This time, Jansen was on the right side of the equation, giving up one hit, striking out one batter and retiring San Diego without a whimper.

The Dodgers were able to keep pace with San Francisco, which snapped a six-game losing streak with a win over Arizona.

Josh Beckett (5-4) continued a -steady pace, tossing seven innings of shutout ball and holding San Diego to four hits. Since tossing a no-hitter in May, Beckett has posted a 1.58 ERA in his last six starts.

Hanley Ramirez, Dee Gordon and Adrian Gonzalez had run-scoring hits for the Dodgers, who have now won 10 of their last 15 games to close the gap in the NL West.

The Dodgers send Hyun-Jin Ryu (8-3, 3.18) to the hill today to face former Dodger Eric Stults (2-9, 5.76).

Kershaw flirts with perfecto, tosses no-hitter

Dodger ace Clayton Kershaw threw a no-hitter against the Rockies tonight, striking out 15 as Los Angeles posted an 8-0 victory and pulled to within four games of San Francisco in the National League West.

Shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who injured his throwing hand the night before, committed a throwing error in the seventh inning. The error was the only blemish on Kershaw’s ledger and prevented him from recording a perfect game.

Matt Kemp continued his torrid hitting with three hits in four trips including a pair of doubles and two RBI. Adrian Gonzalez added two hits and two RBI and Miguel Rojas, playing third base, knocked in three runs with a double as Los Angeles kept the pressure on San Francisco, which dropped a 7-6 decision in Chicago for its fifth straight loss.

Rojas made a sparkling defensive play late in the game to keep the no-hitter intact.

Kershaw improved to 7-2 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.52.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner spent time on the disabled list earlier this season but appears to be back in true form.

Kershaw’s command of his fastball, slow curve and slider was dominating all night. Colorado, known for its high-octane offense, had no answers to Kershaw’s offerings.

Comparisons to Dodger great Sandy Koufax will continue for Kershaw. Koufax pitched four no-hitters in his stellar career.

Ramirez, Kemp and Triunfel back up Greinke in 4-2 win

Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp and Carlos Triunfel homered and Zack Greinke scattered six hits over six innings and held Colorado to a lone run tonight as the Dodgers posted a 4-2 win over the Rockies at Chavez Ravine.

The win, coupled with San Francisco’s 8-2 loss to the White Sox, pulled the Dodgers to five games behind the Giants in the National League West. San Francisco has now lost four in-a-row and seven out of their last eight games to see their division lead shrink.

The Dodgers have won seven of their last 10 games and are showing signs of becoming the team the experts picked to win the division and go deep in the playoffs.

Triunfel was a seventh inning replacement at shortstop after Ramirez left with an injured hand suffered while trying to handle a hot grounder.

Greinke won his ninth game of the year to continue a streak of strong starting pitching for the Dodgers.

J.P. Howell, Brian Wilson and Kenley Jansen pitched in relief for the Dodgers with Jansen getting the save. Jansen gave up a pair of singles in the ninth to put the tying run on base but closed the door with a pair of strikeouts.

Los Angeles sends Clayton Kershaw (6-2, 2.93) to the hill tomorrow night against Jorge De La Rosa (6-5, 4.12) in the series finale.

Ryu, Gordon cool off red-hot Rockies

Hyun-Jin Ryu (8-3) tossed a three-hitter over six innings and Dee Gordon had a 4-for-4 outing as the Dodgers dropped Colorado 6-1 last night to pull to within six games of idle San Francisco in the National League West.

Colorado came into the series opener fresh off a sweep of the Giants but Ryu’s command and a 15-hit outburst from the Dodger offense was more than enough to snap Colorado’s five-game winning streak.

 

Gordon ignited the Dodgers with a triple down the left field line that Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon couldn’t corral and Gordon scored on the play. The scorekeeper ruled it a triple and an error but Dodger manager Don Mattingly called it an inside-the-park homer.

The Dodgers got three hits from Yasiel Puig and a pair of hits from Matt Kemp and A.J. Ellis as Los Angeles scored in the third, fifth, sixth and eighth innings. Kemp drove in a pair of runs with a single and a double and is showing signs of returning to his MVP-candidate form of several seasons ago.

Brandon League, J.P. Howell, Brian Wilson and Jamey Wright pitched the final three innings and prevented the Rockies from mounting the kind of comebacks that left San Francisco stunned.

The Giants have dropped six of their last seven games and though still holding the best record in baseball may be coming back down to earth after a torrid start of the season.

Los Angeles sends Zack Grienke (8-3, 2.65) to the bump today against Jhoulys Chacin (1-4, 4.53).

Haren helps his cause in win over D-Backs

Dan Haren (7-4) is the fifth starting pitcher in the Dodger rotation and like many hurlers is not an especially strong hitter.

But despite hitting a paltry .143, Haren delivered a two-out, bases-loaded double last night and held Arizona to three runs on eight hits over 6.1 innings as the Dodgers posted a 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

With the win, Los Angeles pulled to 6.5 games of San Francisco. Colorado’s Brandon Barnes hit a two-run, inside-the-park homer in the ninth for a 5-4 Rockies win. San Francisco centerfielder Angel Pagan misplayed the sharply hit ball to right center and the ball rolled to wall in the spacious San Franciso outfield. Giants closer Sergio Romo has given up two straight ninth inning comebacks to the visitors from Colorado.

At Chavez Ravine, Haren fell behind early, giving up a two-run shot to Paul Goldschmidt in the first inning but the Dodgers answered in the third inning.

Dee Gordon, the wisp at second base, sparked the comeback with a two-run homer to right field, only the fourth dinger of his major league career.

Haren’s fourth inning double cleared the bases for a 6-3 lead. Matt Kemp started the scoring in the fourth with a run-scoring single to center, plating Yasiel Puig. Puig had walked and moved to third on an opposite field single to left by Adrian Gonzalez.

J.P. Howell, Brian Wilson and Kenley Jansen finished up for Haren though Jansen was tagged for a ninth inning homerun.

No Friday the 13th horror stories for Dodgers

 It was Friday the 13^th but the only hockey masks in sight last night in Los Angeles were downtown at the Staples Center where the Kings were taking Lord Stanley’s Cup with an overtime win over the Rangers.

On this night in Chavez Ravine, Clayton Kershaw was dealing, Matt Kemp was going yard and Dee Gordon was flashing the glove, appropriately since his major league dad went by the nickname Flash.

No, the only horror stories being played out last night were up the coast in Frisco where the Giants went into the ninth leading 4-2 and watched the Rockies Horror Show, a five-run ninth inning that chased closer Sergio Romo and allowed Los Angeles to close the gap in the NL West to a still scary 7.5 games.

Bearing in on the halfway point of a high expectations season, the Dodgers have yet to display the promise they are believed to possess. The surplus of starting outfielders and the gaggle of former closers in the bullpen have not played as advertised.

The Dodger bats have been relatively quiet, with the quartet of Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Hanley Ramirez all hitting in a pedestrian range of .247 to .261. Of these batting averages championships are not made. Only Cuban defector Yasiel Puig, in his first full season in the majors, is delivering with a .321 average, 11 dingers and 40 RBI.

The starting pitching has been stellar. Kershaw (6-2), Zack Grienke (8-3), Hyun-Jin Ryu (7-3), Dan Haren (6-4) and Josh Beckett (4-3) would be a formidable rotation in a playoff series if the Dodgers can get to one.

It’s the pen that has fallen short. Last night, setup man Brian Wilson and closer Kenley Jansen surrendered runs in the eighth and ninth frames as the Dodgers held on for a 4-3 win.

Frightening.

Ramirez sparks 12-2 rout of Pirates

Two months into the six-month marathon that is a major league baseball season, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves 6.5 games behind rival San Francisco for the National League West lead.

The Dodgers picked up a game on the Giants yesterday, pounding out a 12-2 win over Pittsburgh while the Giants dropped a 2-0 decision to the Cardinals. At 36-20, the Giants have the best record in baseball. With the win, the Dodgers snapped a three-game losing streak.

Hanley Ramirez was the catalyst yesterday, going 4-for-4 with two dingers and five RBI. Ramirez raised his batting average to .265 and the Dodgers can only hope he is warming up for the summer.

Adrian Gonzalez went 3-for-4 and Matt Kemp and Justin Turner each had a pair of hits and RBI as the Dodgers gave Hyun-Jin Ryu (6-2) all the support he needed. After taking a perfect game into the eighth inning in his last start, Ryu was not sharp, giving up 10 hits and a pair of runs in six innings of work.

Jamey Wright did mop up duties, holding the Bucs to one hit over three innings for the save.

Kemp started in left field for the injured Carl Crawford as Ethier has emerged as the better option in center. Kemp is still recovering from ankle and shoulder injuries and has yet to regain full mobility on defense.

Yasiel Puig was a quiet 1-for-4 with an infield hit but remains the Dodgers’ leading hitter with a .344 average. Dee Gordon and Drew Butera had triples during the Los Angeles hit fest.

The Dodgers will try to earn a split of the four-game series today when they send Zack Grienke (8-1, 2.18 ERA) against Edinson Volquez (2-4, 4.30 ERA). In 20 starts at Dodger Stadium, Greinke is 13-2 with a 2.23 ERA. He will be trying to become the first nine-game winner in the National League.