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.