Update: With the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates the Dodgers officially clinched an N.L. playoff berth. They are the second N.L. team to clinch. The Washington Nationals have already locked up the N.L. East title. The Dodgers still have to come out ahead of the San Francisco Giants to win the N.L. West. Currently the Dodgers hold a three and a half game lead over San Francisco.
Original Text:
It wasn’t Clayton Kershaw‘s best performance of the year but he still got his 20th win of the season with a a lot of help from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offense. The offense knocked out Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Edwin Jackson before he could finish the first inning.
Jackson pitch two thirds of the first inning and threw just 35 pitches before being replaced by Eric Jokisch, one of six relief pitchers the Cubs would need to finish the game. It was Jackson’s first outing since going on the disabled list on August 20 with a right lat strain.
With those 35 pitches Jackson allowed the Dodgers to score four times. He got Dee Gordon to fly out one of his two outs in the inning, walked Yasiel Puig, allowed a single to Adrian Gonzalez and three-run shot to Matt Kemp before getting Carl Crawford on a grounder to second for his second and final out of the game.
Jackson faced one more batter before Jokisch took over giving up a single to Juan Uribe. The Dodgers’ bats were not finished yet and wouldn’t be before they scored another ten runs. Jokisch facing his first batter A.J. Ellis, threw one right down the middle and Ellis went yard for two more runs.
The first run to cross the plate, Uribe, was charged to Jackson adding onto his four runs for a total of five earned runs, four hits, a walk and no strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning. Jokisch finally struck out opposing pitcher Kershaw to end the first inning with the Dodgers leading 6-0.
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The Dodgers went on to score eight more runs in the game on a second two-run bomb from Ellis in the third and a three-run shot by Puig, a RBI double from Hanley Ramierz and a 2-RBI line drive off the bat of Carl Crawford all in the top of the sixth inning.
It was not Kershaw’s best day on the mound this season but if he was going to have an off day this was the day to for him to have it. He lasted only five innings throwing 106 pitches, allowing three earned runs on seven hits. He walked three but still struck out nine batters.
Prospect Joc Pederson pinch-hit for Kershaw in the top of the sixth and his day was done but he left with the lead. Even though J.P. Howell allowed the Cubs to add two more runs to their total in the bottom of the ninth inning it didn’t matter.
The Dodgers were victorious by a score of 14-5. Kershaw got the win and became the first pitcher to hit the 20 win mark this season.
The Dodgers came through offensively when Kershaw needed them and although it was what you would call an “off day” for Kershaw he still came out on top.
Kershaw is now 20-3 with a 1.80 ERA. He is still leading MLB in wins, ERA and complete games. The 26-year old left-hander is well on his way to taking home the third Cy Young Award of his seven year career, his third in the last four seasons, and he may even bring home the N.L. MVP Award too.