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.