Hudson hits 2 HRs, Kershaw dominant for Dodgers

[July 13, 2009]  MILWAUKEE (AP) -- All-Star Orlando Hudson homered twice, Clayton Kershaw won his fifth consecutive road start and the Los Angeles Dodgers capped the best first half in the majors with a 7-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.

Manny Ramirez went 3 for 3 and scored twice to help the Dodgers finish a 6-3 road trip for their best start in 32 years at 56-32. Backup catcher Brad Ausmus also homered and James Loney drove in two runs with two singles.

Hudson, who had been in a 3-for-41 slump, homered in the sixth and eighth. The Dodgers continued their power surge, belting 10 homers in the three-game series after hitting seven in the previous eight games.

Staked a 2-0 lead before he took the mound, Kershaw (7-5) gave up one run and two hits over six-plus innings. He struck out four and walked five, increasing his major league-high total to 59.

The Brewers, who've tumbled out of the NL Central lead by losing eight of 11, scored twice in the seventh and eighth, but Hudson homered in the eighth and Ramon Troncoso got three outs to earn his fifth save in six chances in place of Jonathan Broxton (toe).

Troncoso allowed the tying run to come to the plate after one-out singles by Frank Catalanotto and Jason Kendall. Corey Hart lined out and Ryan Braun popped up to end it.

The 1977 Dodgers were 59-33 at the All-Star break in Tommy Lasorda's first full season as manager, eventually losing the World Series to the New York Yankees in six games.

These Dodgers led by Joe Torre seem poised to make a similar run with Kershaw improving to 4-0 with a microscopic 0.76 ERA in his last six starts and Ramirez picking up where he left off following a 50-game drug suspension.

Ramirez doubled in the first, singled in the third, walked in the fifth and doubled in the seventh. He's 11 for 29 with three homers, nine RBIs and eight runs since returning from the ban.

Kershaw ran his scoreless innings streak to 17 before it ended in the seventh.

Ramirez and Kershaw left in a double switch following Mike Cameron's double. Bill Hall drove in Cameron with a double off Hiroki Kuroda, moved up on a groundout and scored on Jody Gerut's sacrifice fly.

Cameron hit a sacrifice fly off James McDonald in the eighth and Casey McGehee scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-4.

Yovani Gallardo (8-7) lost his third straight start, allowing five runs and six hits in five innings.

NOTES: It was Hudson's fourth career multihomer game and first since July 31, 2006. ... Brewers manager Ken Macha presented Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Trevor Hoffman with All-Star jerseys before the game. Since Hoffman was named on Sunday morning as a replacement for Broxton, he got a Braun No. 8 jersey, too. ... Brewers SS J.J. Hardy (shoulder) missed the game.

[Associated Press; By COLIN FLY]

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