Ryu wins in return to rotation

Southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu (14-6) returned to the mound today in San Diego after a stint on the DL and showed no signs of rust, holding the Padres to one run on four hits through seven innings to get the win in a 7-1 decision.

With the victory, Los Angeles maintained a 2.5 game lead over San Francisco, which swept Milwaukee behind a 15-5 pasting.

Juan Uribe also returned to the Dodger lineup and had a pair of hits and two RBI.

The Dodgers led 2-1 going into the eighth inning and busted the game open with a four-run inning that featured an Adrian Gonzalez opposite field single, a line drive double off the wall by Matt Kemp and run-scoring singles by Uribe and Darwin Barney.

Kemp scored on a wild pitch by Jesse Hahn that bounced off the backstop. Yasmani Grandal took the ball off the carom and had Kemp beat at the plate but Kemp artfully avoided the tag and was ruled safe.

The Dodgers added another run in the ninth when Uribe drilled a double to left center to score Carl Crawford.

Scott Van Slyke and Kemp had RBI singles to give the Dodgers the 2-1 lead.

Gonzalez went 4-for-5 and Kemp and Uribe had two hits apiece. Pedro Baez pitched the eighth and ninth frames, holding the Padres hitless and striking out two.

The Dodgers return to Chavez Ravine tomorrow to kick off a three-game series against the Washington Nationals. Roberto Hernandez will get the ball.

Padres look to sweep struggling Dodgers

After dropping two extra innings games at San Diego Friday and Saturday, the Dodgers will try to salvage a game and avoid a sweep when they send Hyun-Jin Ryu to the hill today against Eric Stults.

Ryu is coming off the DL after a pulled hip muscle and will try to snap the skid in San Diego.

Dan Haren and Zack Greinke pitched well in the two losses but the Dodger bats have been relatively quiet. Justin Turner and Hanley Ramirez went yard in Friday’s 3-2 loss in 12 innings and Adrian Gonzalez smacked a round-tripper yesterday’s 2-1 loss but in both games it was not enough.

Yasiel Puig is mired in a hitting slump and Dee Gordon has cooled off as the two All-Stars have struggled. Turner is hitting above .300, Matt Kemp is swinging the bat well and Carl Crawford has been on a tear.

While the Dodgers have lost two extra inning affairs against the Padres, San Francisco has closed the gap to 2.5 games in the NL West with a pair of wins at home against Milwaukee, 13-2 and 3-1. On Friday, Buster Posey went 5-for-5 to spark a blowout and last night Jake Peavy flirted with a no-hitter in a 3-1 win.

In the words of Satchel Paige, “Don’t look back, somebody might be gaining on you.”

Dodgers, Giants lined up for September pennant race

The Dodgers and Giants go into the final weekend of August tangled in a pennant race with Los Angeles holding a precarious 4.5 game lead.

The Dodgers end the month with three games in San Diego while the Giants host Central Division leaders Milwaukee for three games at AT&T Park.

The Dodgers then host Washington, Arizona and San Diego in three-game sets before making a road trip Sept. 12-21 with games at San Francisco, Colorado and Chicago.

The Dodgers close the regular season with a six-game home stand against the Giants and the Rockies.

San Francisco opens September on the road with four against the Rockies and three games at Detroit.  The Giants then host Arizona and Los Angeles Sept. 9-14 before starting a nine-game road trip Sept. 15-24 at Arizona, San Diego and Los Angeles.

The Giants end the regular season with a four game series at home against San Diego.

The Dodgers and Giants meet head-to-head six times in September in games that will decide the National League West.

Kershaw pitches out of jams in 3-1 win

Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw had some rough innings early but settled into Cy Young Award form last night to pace Los Angeles to a 3-1 win over Arizona.

Kershaw went eight innings, gave up one run on six hits and struck out 10 to become the first 16-game winner in the major leagues. He lowered his league-leading ERA to 1.73.

Kershaw, who has had his problems in Phoenix, pitched out of jams in the third, fourth and fifth innings before settling into a rhythm.

Arizona loaded the bases in the third inning with one out but Kershaw closed the door, getting Aaron Hill to pop up to second and Mark Trumbo to fly out to left.

Remarkably, it was the first time Kershaw faced a bases-loaded situation all season.

The Snakes got on the board in the fourth inning when Alfredo Marte doubled and Jordan Pacheco singled to left. Marte stopped at third but then went home when Scott Van Slyke turned an ankle fielding the ball and throw wildly to the infield. Kershaw then retired the next three batters in a row, getting Tuffy Gosewisch on a strikeout, Didi Gregorious on a fly to center and pitcher Wade Miley on a tapper back to the box.

Ender Inciarte opened the fifth with a triple to right but was stranded at third as Kershaw fanned Cliff Pennington, induced Hill to pop up to short and struck out Trumbo.

After that, Kershaw surrendered only a single before turning the ball over to Kenley Jansen in the ninth.

The Dodgers put up all three of their runs in the third when Dee Gordon reached on a bunt single, Yasiel Puig drew a walk and Matt Kemp drilled a double into right center, scoring two. Van Slyke, who was in the lineup because of his past success against Miley, then justified the start with a line shot home run into the seats in left.

With the win, the Dodgers maintained a five-game lead in the NL West over the Giants, winners against the Rockies.

Dodgers roll to 9-5 win at Arizona

PHOENIX – There was no pool party here last night but the Dodgers did have a six-run celebration in the fourth inning on the way to a 9-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

Roberto Hernandez scattered six hits over six innings and gave up three runs to get the win on a night the Dodgers pounded out 14 hits against Arizona pitchers, including a two-run homer in the first inning by Matt Kemp.

Arizona starter Trevor Cahill got himself in a pickle in the fourth by walking Adrian Gonzalez and Matt Kemp to start the inning. Cahill struck out Hanley Ramirez for the first out then surrendered five consecutive singles to Carl Crawford, Justin Turner, A.J. Ellis, Hernandez and Dee Gordon.

During that stretch, the Dodgers won two instant replay challenges with Crawford being ruled safe on a tag at home and Hernandez ruled safe on call at first. The Dodgers plated the sixth run of the inning when Gonzalez hit a sac fly to center, scoring Hernandez.

J.P. Howell, Brandon League, Jamey Wright and Pedro Baez came on in relief with League and Baez each getting touched up for a run.

With the win, the Dodgers maintained a five game lead in the NL West over San Francisco, 3-0 winners over Colorado.

The Dodgers send Clayton Kershaw (15-3, 1.82) to the mound tonight as they seek a sweep of the two-game set.

Correia makes early exit in New York rout

Kevin Correia, recently added to the Dodgers’ pitching staff to compensate for a spate of injuries, gave up three homeruns and seven runs total in three innings of work yesterday as New York pummeled Los Angeles 11-3 to avoid a three-game sweep in Los Angeles.

Carlos Frias came into relieve Correia in the fourth but he didn’t fare much better, surrendering three runs on five hits as the Mets built a 7-1 lead after three frames.

For the Dodgers, the few bright spots came at the plate where Adrian Gonzalez went three-for-three and Andre Ethier and Dee Gordon each notched a pair of hits.

Thankfully for Los Angeles, the Giants dropped a 14-6 laugher to the Nats to preserve the Dodgers 4.5 game lead in the National League West.

The Dodgers send Roberto Hernandez, another recent pitching addition, to the mound tonight in the opening game of a two-game set at Arizona.

Bartolo Colon got the win for the Mets, giving up two runs on five hits through six innings.

Dodgers take two from Mets; look for sweep today

Dan Haren took the hill against the Mets Friday night and leadoff hitter Curtis Granderson greeted him with a shot into the bullpen in right field.

For Haren (11-10), it looked like it might be another down night in an up and down season that has seen him hover around the .500 mark.

But Haren settled down after the first inning dinger to hold the Mets to three hits through seven innings and the Dodgers posted a 6-2 win.

The Dodgers were holding a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh when Dee Gordon tripled to right with two outs. The Dodgers caught a break when shortstop Wilmer Flores air mailed the throw on an

Adrian Gonzalez grounder that scored Gordon. Matt Kemp then cashed in the error with a two-run double to the gap in left center.

Los Angeles continued its winning ways on Saturday when Zack Greinke took the hill against the Mets. Greinke wasn’t at his best, giving up a pair of dingers, but a five RBI night by Adrian Gonzalez was enough to overcome that.

New York when up 3-0 in the fourth inning when Juan Lagares drilled a three-run homer to left field.

The Dodgers answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth and busted the game open in the fifth when Gonzalez connected for a three-run blast to right field to give the Dodgers a 5-3 advantage.

The Dodgers added two runs in the seventh on an infield hit by Scott Van Slyke and a sac fly by Gonzalez.

Greinke gave up four runs on nine hits in the win, improving his record to 13-8. Kevin Correia takes the mound today as the Dodgers seek a series sweep over New York.

With the win, the Dodgers moved to 4.5 games up on San Francisco, losers at Washington.

Kershaw, Turner pace 2-1 win

Having lost four of their last five games, the Dodgers went into last night’s bout with San Diego desperately needing a win.

So they turned to Clayton Kershaw.

But even with Kershaw tossing a gem, the Dodgers went into the bottom of the eighth trailing the Padres 1-0 and had mustered only two hits off of San Diego’s Tyson Ross, who matched Kershaw pitch for pitch.

Carl Crawford opened the inning with a chopper over the mound that the 6’6” Ross batted down and scrambled to gather in but his hurried throw bounced to first and Crawford beat it by a step.

Justin Turner then came to the plate and Ross hung a breaking ball over the plate that Turner clubbed into the left field bleachers for a 2-1 lead.

Kenley Jansen came on in the ninth to close the game, walking one and striking out two to get the save.

Kershaw struck out 10, walked two and tossed a three-hitter to improve his record to 15-3 with a 1.82 ERA.

After taking two of three, the Dodgers continue the home stand this weekend with a three-game set against the Mets. The Dodgers now have a 3.5 game lead over San Francisco. The Giants won a protest over a rain-shortened game but eventually lost 2-1. The Giants then took the regularly scheduled game 5-3. When all the dust had settled the Dodgers had picked up a half-game in the standings.

The Dodgers hope to get a little healthier this weekend with Hanley Ramirez expected to return to the lineup Sunday and Hyun-Jin Ryu close to returning to the rotation after a hip injury. Zack Greinke, who had his start pushed back to Saturday, reported no pain in his elbow in a light workout on Thursday. Juan Uribe is still slowed with a hamstring pull.

Padres shut down Dodgers in 4-1 decision

Roberto Hernandez had a rocky second start as a Dodger and Eric Stults handcuffed Los Angeles on one run and four hits last night as San Diego posted a 4-1 win at Chavez Ravine.

The Padres put three runs on the board in the second inning when Jedd Gyorko picked up an infield single, Jake Goebbert walked, Rymer Liriano walked, Alexi Amarista singled to center and Stults helped his own cause with a line single to left that scored Goebbert and Liriano when Scott Van Slyke couldn’t come up with the ball cleanly in left.

Hernandez gave up four runs on eight hits through five innings and struggled with his control throughout the game, walking two and throwing only 51 strikes in 91 pitches.

Offensively, the Dodgers left seven runners on base and went 0-5 with runners in scoring position.

Van Slyke was the only Dodgers’ batter with multiple hits, getting a pair of singles.

The Dodgers will try to get back on track tonight when Clayton Kershaw  (14-3, 1.78) takes the hill. Kershaw is starting in place of Zack Greinke, who was moved back to Saturday due to tenderness in his elbow.

The Los Angeles loss, coupled with a Giants win, saw the Dodgers’ lead in the NL West shrink to three games. The Dodgers lost a half a game in the standings when the Giants won a protest over a rain-delayed game that will now be completed before today’s scheduled game against the Cubs.

Mattingly trying to stay on top with makeshift roster

The dog days of summer have arrived and the first place Los Angeles Dodgers are limping into the final six weeks of the season.

Hyun-Jin Ryu is on the DL with a hip strain, Josh Beckett has something called a hip impingement and Zack Greinke could miss a start this week with a tender elbow.

Shortstop Hanley Ramirez is on the DL with an oblique strain and third sacker Juan Uribe is down with a hamstring strain.

The Dodgers have brought in veteran starters Kevin Correia from the Twins and Roberto Hernandez from the Phillies to shore up the depleted pitching staff, promoted infielders Miguel Rojas and Erisel Arruebarrena and acquired veteran Darwin Barney to help out in the infield. Justin Turner came off the bench to spell Uribe at third.

It is, at best, a makeshift roster.

Correia got his second start for the Dodgers last night and was shaky, giving up eight hits and four runs through five innings in an 8-6 Dodger victory. Correia surrendered a three-run homer to Jedd Gyorko in the first inning.

Thankfully for Correia, San Diego pitchers were having a harder time of it with starter Ian Kennedy giving up six runs on seven hits through five frames.

The Dodgers put up two runs in the second inning when Carl Crawford singled, Turner doubled to center and Arruebarrena singled him home.

Los Angeles built a 5-3 lead with three runs in the fourth inning when Matt Kemp slashed a double to left, Crawford walked and Turner doubled off the glove of center fielder Abraham Almonte. A.J. Ellis brought home Crawford with a sac fly to right and Turner scored on a throwing error by first baseman Jake Goebbert, trying to force Turner at third.

The Dodgers added a run in the fifth when Kemp doubled off the glove of left fielder Seth Smith on a catchable fly at the wall and Crawford cashed him in with a single to center.

Crawford, who went three-for-three, provided some insurance in the seventh when he powered a two-run homer to right field, bringing in Yasiel Puig, who got on base with an infield single.

San Diego scored once in the eighth and once in the ninth to draw close but the Dodgers ended the game when Adrian Gonzalez intercepted a Puig throw to the plate and gunned down Almonte, who had rounded third and was caught off the bag.

Dodger relievers Jamey Wright, J.P. Howell, Brandon League and Kenley Jansen gave up two runs on six hits over the final four innings but managed to hang on for the win.

In Chicago, the Giants dropped a rain-shortened 2-0 decision to the Cubs that featured a 20-minute downpour and a 4:34 rain delay before the game was eventually called due to poor field conditions.

Chicago’s grounds crew had problems with the tarp and efforts to get the field in playing condition were unsuccessful. As a result, the Giants had to take a 2-0 loss and the Dodgers increased their lead in the NL West to 4.5 games.

This Bud’s for you – Chicago grounds crew.

Brewers sweep Dodgers at Chavez Ravine

Dan Haren walked the first batter today and then gave up a two-run homer to Jonathon Lucroy as Milwaukee posted a 7-2 win over the Dodgers to sweep the three game set.

Milwaukee has won five of six against the Dodgers in the past week and has served notice that they will be ready should the two first-place teams meet in the playoffs.

Haren (10-10) lasted only three innings, giving up six runs on five hits with three walks.

Milwaukee’s Wily Peralta held the Dodgers to five hits over six innings to earn his 15^th win of the year.

Carlos Gomez added a home run in the fourth inning as the Brewers continued to flex their muscles against the Dodgers.

The Dodgers got on the scoreboard in the eighth inning when Andre Ethier, Scott Van Slyke and Darwin Barney each doubled to put two runs on the board.

Los Angeles has now lost four out of five and seen its’ lead in the NL West shrink to 3.5 games.

The Dodgers will try to get healthy starting tomorrow with six games against San Diego and New York, two teams with losing records.

Kershaw loses to Brewers

Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw uncharacteristically dished up long balls to Ryan Braun and Carlos Gomez and Milwaukee pitcher Yovani Gallardo held the Dodgers to one run on six hits through eight innings tonight in a 3-2 Brewers’ victory.

The Dodgers drew to within a run in the ninth when Matt Kemp crushed a high fastball over the left field fence but it was a case of too little and too late.

The Dodgers saw their lead in the NL West shrink to 4.5 games with San Francisco’s 6-5 come-from-behind win at AT&T Park.

Kershaw (14-3) struck out 11 and only gave up five hits but the two dingers were enough to snap his winning streak at 11 games.

Los Angeles got on the board in the fourth inning when Carl Crawford singled, stole second and scored on a Justin Turner single. In a critical play, Turner was thrown out at second by first baseman Mark Reynolds, who cut off the throw from center field. The next batter, A.J. Ellis, singled to right but the Dodgers had to settle for one run in the inning.

The Dodgers lost two of three to the Brewers last week in Milwaukee and will try to salvage one game of the three-game set in Los Angeles tomorrow when they send Dan Haren (10-9, 4.50) to the hill against Wily Peralta (14-7, 3.46)

Bullpen falters in loss to Milwaukee

Milwaukee put up five runs in the eighth inning off relievers Jamey Wright and Brandon League last night to post a come-from-behind 6-3 win over the Dodgers in a battle of first-place teams.

Zack Greinke pitched five innings of shutout ball and Pedro Baez pitched scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh before the wheels came off with Wright and then League on the mound.

Wright got into trouble in the eighth and Dodgers manager Don Mattingly brought in League, who surrendered a bases-loaded pinch-hit double to Lyle Overbay to give the Brewers a three run lead.

Greinke had control problems, walking five, but was able to keep the Brewers off the scoreboard. Baez, a fireballer, pitched two solid innings, walking one but giving up no hits.

Wright and League, however, could not put out the fire in the eighth.

The Dodgers built a 2-0 lead going into the eighth with Dee Gordon being driven in by Yasiel Puig in the first and fifth innings. Gordon would get to first on a single or walk, steal second and score on a Puig hit. The formula failed in the seventh when Gordon singled but was thrown out at second by Brewers’ catcher Jonathon Lucroy.

Puig paced the Dodgers with three hits in four trips with a pair of RBI.

The only saving grace in last night’s loss was news that the Giants fell in extra innings, 5-3, allowing the Dodgers to maintain a 5.5 game lead in the NL West.

The Dodgers send Clayton Kershaw (14-2, 1.78) to the mound tonight against Yovani Gallardo (7-6, 3.44).

Dodgers hold on for 6-4 win over Braves

After dropping a 3-2 decision to Atlanta on Wednesday night, the Dodgers rallied for a 6-4 win over the Braves last night behind the pitching of Roberto Hernandez and a dazzling display of speed on the base paths from Dee Gordon.

Hernandez, recently acquired from the Phillies, held the Braves to one run on three hits through six innings, striking out five but walking four batters.

Brandon League pitched the seventh and Brian Wilson came in for the eighth inning and that’s when the Braves made their move.  Wilson gave up three runs on three hits, allowing Atlanta to close to a 5-4 score going into the ninth.

Kenley Jansen was summoned to get the final out in the eighth and pitched the ninth as well, but not without some drama. Jansen gave up a single to Jason Hayward and a double to Freddie Freeman to put the tying and winning runs in scoring position before striking out B.J. Upton to end the game.

Gordon sparked the Dodgers with three hits, four runs scored and two stolen bases. Catcher Drew Butera helped the cause with a two-run homer to left in the second inning.

Adrian Gonzalez continued his torrid hitting with three hits in five trips and two RBI. Yasiel Puig had three hits in four trips and knocked in one run. Butera had a pair of hits starting for A.J. Ellis.

Up 5-4 in the ninth, the Dodgers added an insurance run when Gordon bunted up the first base line, moved to second when Puig was hit by a pitch and scored when Gonzalez drove a double to center.

With the win, the Dodgers moved to 5.5 games up on idle San Francisco in the National League West.

The Dodgers return to Chavez Ravine tonight with Zack Grienke on the hill against the Brewers.

Haren delivers solid outing in 4-2 win over Braves

Dan Haren’s 2014 season has been a roller coaster of ups and downs.

Going through a stretch where he lost five games in a row and was getting shelled every time out, Haren didn’t know how many more starts he would get.

But Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly never lost faith in Haren. That faith was rewarded last night as Haren held the Braves to two runs through six innings in a 4-2 win over Atlanta.

Haren (10-9) has now had two solid outings in row and given the Dodgers a strong boost in the tail end of the rotation.

"I felt definitely the heat of not doing well for so long," Haren said. "The self-doubt is going to creep into my mind. It was just weird how it happened. I was unsure how many starts left I would have, but it was pretty bad coming to the field and having so many bad starts in a row. How many starts did I have left? Who's to say if maybe I did bad in Anaheim, I'd throw out of the bullpen. I don't know."

Trailing 2-1 in the fifth inning last night, the Dodgers plated a pair of runs to take the lead when Haren singled to left, Carl Crawford doubled to the gap in right center, Yasiel Puig hit a high chopper to short and Matt Kemp hit a bloop single to right that dropped in between second sacker Tommy La Stella and right fielder Jason Heyward.

The Dodgers added an insurance run in the ninth when recently acquired Darwin Barney hit a grounder that went under the glove of shortstop Emilio Bonifacio. Barney hustled into second on the play, moved to third on an Adrian Gonzalez ground out and scored when a David Hale breaking ball bounced away from catcher Evan Gattis and Barney beat the relay at the plate.

Crawford paced the Dodgers with three hits in four trips and Juan Uribe added a pair of hits for the Dodgers.

Brian Wilson, J.P. Howell and Brandon League pitched hitless ball in the seventh and eighth innings to set up Kenley Jansen, who retired the side in order in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts.

San Francisco fell in extra innings to the White Sox, allowing the Dodgers to pad their lead to six games.

Hyun-Jin Ryu (13-5, 3.21) takes the hill tonight against Ervin Santana (11-6, 3.69).

Correia turns in strong showing in first appearance

Kevin Correia, a journeyman pitcher acquired this week from the Minnesota Twins, turned in a stellar outing in his Dodger debut tonight, holding Atlanta to one run on four hits through six frames as Los Angeles posted a 6-2 win over the Braves and extended their lead in the NL West to five games.

Correia, who came to the Dodgers with a 5-13 record and an ERA at 4.79, had strong command of his pitches, walking only one and striking out five.

The Dodgers beat Julio Teheran (10-9) with a three-run sixth inning that featured a string of singles by Correia, Dee Gordon, Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford.

Los Angeles busted the game open with three more in the eighth sparked by a walk to Puig, a ground rule double by Matt Kemp, a single by Crawford and a throwing error by Atlanta shortstop Ramiro Pena.

Brian Wilson, Jamey Wright and Carlos Frias pitched in relief to hold the Braves at bay. Frias gave up two hits and a run in the ninth.

Correia, an All-Star with Pittsburgh in 2011, is expected to replace the injured Josh Beckett in the Dodger rotation. On Friday, the Dodgers acquired Roberto Hernandez from Philadelphia to shore up the pitching staff. Hernandez went six innings and held the Brewers to two runs on three hits and struck out five in his Los Angeles debut.

The Dodger starters now include Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyu-Jin Ryu, Dan Haren, Hernandez and Correia. Beckett is on the 15-day DL with a hip injury and his return is uncertain.

Haren (9-9, 4.57) takes the hill tomorrow against the Braves. Haren pitched a three-hitter over 7.1 innings to beat the Angels last week.

Kershaw paces Dodgers to 5-1 win over Milwaukee

Reeling from two straight losses to the Brewers, the Dodgers called on Clayton Kershaw to steer the Good Ship Los Angeles back on course today and the ace lefty did the job, holding Milwaukee to one run on six hits enroute to a 5-1 victory.

Kershaw didn’t have his best stuff, but pitched out of trouble on more than one occasion to notch his 14^th win against only two losses and lower his ERA to 1.78.

Kershaw is on track to win his third Cy Young Award in four years.

Kershaw did it all for the Dodgers, making a diving catch to spoil a squeeze play and double up a runner at third; scored when he got aboard on a walk; and drove in a run with a line single to left field.

Oh, and he picked a runner off first base for good measure.

Offensively, the Dodgers backed up their ace with 14 hits, including three hits by light-hitting shortstop Miguel Rojas and a solo homer by A.J. Ellis, his first of the year. Ellis nearly had a second homer in the ninth but left fielder Khris Davis made a circus catch at the wall to deny him.

Adrian Gonzalez continued his feasting on Brewers’ pitching, knocking a pair of doubles and two RBI to finish with a 7-for-10 series with five RBI and five extra-base hits, including two dingers.

"I've got a good feeling right now," said Gonzalez. "I'm a very streaky hitter, so I hope I continue doing that. I've been really good in spurts and really bad in spurts."

Matt Kemp continued his post-All Star resurgence, getting a pair of hits and an RBI to raise his average to .284.

Carl Crawford and Juan Uribe added a pair of hits apiece.

Milwaukee hurt themselves on the base paths throughout the evening. In the third inning, pitcher Jimmy Nelson doubled down the right field line but then got thrown out at third on a Carlos Gomez grounder to Rojas at short.

Kershaw then picked off Gomez to quell any rally the Brewers might have been piecing together.

In the fourth, Ryan Braun singled to center and moved to second on a wild pitch by Kershaw. Braun then got greedy and tried to take third on ball in the dirt but Ellis gunned down Braun on a bang-bang play at third. Initially called safe on the play, Braun was eventually called out when Mattingly challenged the call and got an instant replay review.

In the fifth, Rickie Weeks doubled to right and moved to third on an infield out. Juan Segura then tried a squeeze bunt to score Weeks but Kershaw came off the mound in a dive, caught the ball fully extended and doubled up Weeks at third.

The Dodgers continue their road trip tomorrow with the opener of a four-game set against Atlanta.

With San Francisco’s 7-4 loss at Kansas City, the Dodgers moved to 4.5 games in first place in the NL West.

Kershaw will try to salvage series finale

Baseball seasons, like our lives, have ebbs and flows.

Coming off a series win against the Angels, the Dodgers went into Milwaukee this weekend and promptly dropped the first two games of the series.

The only saving grace in the losses was the fact that San Francisco was likewise losing against Kansas City, allowing the Dodgers to maintain a 3.5 game edge in the NL West.

The Dodgers look to ace lefty Clayton Kershaw to stop the bleeding today when he goes up against rookie Jimmy Nelson.

Kershaw (13-2) has a 1.82 ERA and an even  better 1.01 ERA over his last 10 starts. He hasn't lost since May 28. Kershaw had a rough early few innings in his last start against the Angels but rebounded to shut down the cross town rivals the rest of the game.

The Dodgers will be without shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who is expected to go to the DL with an oblique injury. Ramirez, when healthy, wields one of the most dangerous bats in baseball. Sadly, he has not been healthy for a full season in recent years.

A bright note for the Dodgers has been the hitting of Adrian Gonzalez the last two games. Gonzalez went yard in both games and might be breaking out of a slump that saw his batting average drop into the .250 range.

After today's matchup against the Brewers the Dodgers head to Atlanta for a four-game set with the Braves. Atlanta is still smarting from a three-game series sweep at the hands of the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine last week and will be seeking retribution.

Dodgers take three of four from Angels

Going into this week’s four-game home and home series with the Angels, it figured to be the Dodgers’ aces, Clayton Kershaw and Zack Grienke, against Angels’ sluggers Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton.

But when the dust settled Thursday night, Greinke had been shelled in a 5-0 loss ad Kershaw had a rocky start and left without a decision. The Dodgers heroes were Dan Haren, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez.

Haren, who was 0-5 in his last five starts with a 10 plus ERA, tossed a three-hitter through 7.1 innings to beat the Angels 2-1 Wednesday night. Haren retired the first 16 batters he faced to get the win.

Matt Kemp homered to continue his resurgence and Andre Ethier slashed a run-scoring double to pace the Dodgers.

Ryu pitched last night and tossed a masterful two-hitter through seven innings with Jamey Wright and Pedro Baez pitching in relief in the Dodgers’ 7-0 win. Baez showed a strong arm, hitting the gun at 98-99 mph.

Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez had bases-loaded hits, Miguel Rojas played a suffocating shortstop and Yasiel Puig made a run-saving catch off the wall in left center to keep the Angels off the scoreboard.

On Wednesday night, Puig showed off his arm, gunning down Hank Conger trying to move from first to third on a single to center.

After sweeping the Giants and the Braves and then stumbling against Chicago, the Dodgers dropped the first game against the Angels then rolled off three straight wins over  one of the top teams in the American League.

Los Angeles faces a grueling road trip this week with games at Milwaukee and Atlanta before returning to Chavez Ravine next Friday.

The Dodgers head out of town with a 3.5 game lead in the National League West.

Dodgers edge Angels 5-4 in thriller

Andre Ethier is the forgotten man on the Los Angeles Dodgers roster. Once a star, Ethier is now on the outside looking in with Carl Crawford, Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp holding down the starting outfield jobs and Scott Van Slyke getting spot starts.

But tonight, with one out and runners on first and third in the bottom of the ninth, pinch-hitter Ethier slapped a Kevin Jepsen pitch to third base where David Freese, playing in tight to prevent the run at the plate, bare-handed the soft tapper and fired to Chris Iannetta at the plate.

Freese’s throw arrived at home the same time Juan Uribe reached the plate and Iannetta could not hold onto the throw, allowing Uribe to score the winning run and post a 5-4 victory.

Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw gave up two runs in the second and another in the third inning with Iannetta and Freese hitting back-to-back doubles to spark the Angels. Kershaw went seven innings but left without a decision.

Down 2-0, Uribe answered in the bottom of the second with a three-run shot to left to score Kemp and Van Slyke.

The Angels tied the score in the third when Mike Trout and Pujols hit back-to-back doubles off Kershaw.

Kershaw settled down after the third inning, however, pitching no-hit ball for the next four innings and striking out five batters.

The Dodgers took a 4-3 lead in the sixth when Kemp reached first on a throwing error by Freese, stole second and went to third when Iannetta’s throw skipped into center field. Van Slyke then cashed him in with a sac fly to center.

Pujols knotted the game at 4-4 in the eighth when he went yard on Brian Wilson, crushing a fastball into the Dodgers’ bullpen.

Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth and struck out the side, setting down Freese, Iannetta and Collin Cowgill.

Uribe started the ninth inning rally when he singled to right off of Jepsen and moved to third on a single up the middle by A.J. Ellis, hitting a paltry .190. Uribe was able to go to third on the play because he was running on the pitch and kept motoring into third.

Ethier then got the walk-off with his tapper to third that was enough to score Uribe.

San Francisco lost tonight, putting the Dodgers up 2.5 games in the National League West.

Angels blank Dodgers in series opener

After dropping two of three to the last place Chicago Cubs, the Dodgers continued to look sluggish tonight, falling to the cross town Angels 5-0 in the opening game of a home-and-home four game set.

Zack Greinke gave up four runs in the first inning and Garrett Richards pitched a complete game five-hitter for the Angels to quiet the Los Angeles offense.

Doubles by Albert Pujols and Mike Trout sparked the Angels’ first inning rally and a throwing error by Hanley Ramirez added the fourth run.

Josh Hamilton hit a solo homer in the sixth inning to cap the scoring.

The Dodgers’ loss, coupled with a San Francisco win against the Mets, cut the lead in the National League West to 1.5 games.

The Dodgers will try to right the ship tomorrow night when ace Clayton Kershaw goes to the mound.

Ramirez clubs walk off homer in 12th inning

Hanley Ramirez deposited a Blake Parker breaking ball deep into the bullpen beyond the left field fence in the bottom of the 12th inning tonight to give the Dodgers a dramatic 5-2 extra innings walk off win over the Cubs to extend the Los Angeles lead in the NL West to 3.5 games.

The Dodgers scored two runs in the first inning on a Matt Kemp two-run shot to left and put up zeroes for 10 innings before Ramirez sent home a soggy, depleted but happy Dodger Stadium crowd that endured a 4:39 marathon and a light rain that settled in over the last several innings.

The Dodgers started the game with Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez on the bench with minor injuries but before the night was over both had been used as pinch hitters.

Hyun-Jin Ryu gave up two runs on nine hits over seven innings but left without a decision.

Brandon League, J.P. Howell, Kenley Jansen, Brian Wilson and Jamey Wright came out of the pen in relief with Wright getting the win for pitching the 11^th and 12^th frames.

Ramirez finished with a 3-for-5 night and Dee Gordon and Justin Turner added a pair of hits apiece.

Kemp’s first inning homerun was his fourth round-tripper in five games.

After being stymied by Chicago pitching, the Dodgers 12^th inning two-out rally started with a Gordon single up the middle and a walk to Turner. Ramirez then smoked a breaking ball from Blake Parker and the bubbles started flowing.

Josh Beckett takes the hill tomorrow in the series finale. 

Cubs end Dodgers’ winning streak at six

After rolling through the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves like a steamroller, the Dodgers stumbled against a last-place Chicago club last night, dropping an 8-2 decision at Chavez Ravine.

Dan Haren (8-9) was shelled for seven runs on eight hits through 4.1 innings and Cubs’ rookie Kyle Hendricks held Los Angeles to four hits and two runs through seven innings for the win.

Don Mattingly said after the game that his squad would get a “pass” on the sub par performance and move on.

Chicago shortstop Starlin Castro led the Cubs with three hits in five trips and third-sacker Luis Valbuena took Haren yard to knot the score at 1-1 in the second inning.

Haren’s dismal outing should raise concerns in Los Angeles where the No. 4 and No. 5 starters in the rotation, Josh Beckett and Haren, have struggled as of late. Beckett is dealing with a hip injury and Haren has been off his game.

The Dodgers passed on several starting pitchers before the trade deadline because the asking price – several top prospects – was considered too high. Outfielder Joc Pederson, infielder Corey Seager and pitcher Julio Urias drew the most interest but the Dodgers said the trio was off the table. The Dodgers could still acquire a pitcher on waivers in August and expect the Dodgers to be shopping.

Spot starter Paul Maholm left last night’s game with a knee injury and is not expected back this season.

Dodgers’ GM Ned Colletti may be looking to the farm system where Albuquerque’s Zach Lee and Rancho Cucamonga’s Chris Anderson are considered the top prospects likely to get a call up in 2014.

Fireballer Grant Holmes was drafted with the 22^nd pick in the 2014 draft but is not yet ready for the show.

The Dodgers send Hyun-Jin Ryu (12-5, 3.44) to the mound tonight in the second game of a three game series with the Cubs.