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 Kershaw struck out 13 in seven shutout innings, and Andre Ethier
hit a three-run homer, leading the Dodgers to a 6-0 romp over the
St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers (47-37) won three of four from St. Louis and caught the
San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West.
The Giants were swept in a four-game series by the Cincinnati Reds,
capped by Sunday's 4-0 setback. Los Angeles, which captured its 12th
win in 16 games, trailed San Francisco by 9 1/2 games on June 8.
"I think our game plan was to make up a game a week," Ethier said of
pulling even with the Giants. "We knew we could make up the games,
but not in this short of a distance. Like I said, we were thinking
one game a week to chip off that lead. We battled back a long way,
but we've got to have a lot more of what we've done recently. We
can't get overexcited."
Kershaw (9-2) dominated the Cardinals while extending his
scoreless-innings streak to 28, the fifth longest stretch by a
Dodgers pitcher. Kershaw allowed five hits and two walks in seven
innings. The left-hander also capped a 6-0 run with a 0.82 ERA in
June. He has 61 strikeouts this month.
"More importantly, we've won every game," Kershaw said.
Los Angeles held St. Louis (44-39) to five runs in the series. The
Cardinals were blanked twice.
"That's a good team, obviously. I've had some good games and had
some bad games against them, too," Kershaw said. "For me, it's just
a matter of trying to think along with those guys. They're all
veteran hitters over there, and they all have really good game
plans, and they don't really ever stray from it. Just being
aggressive and at the same time trying to take advantage of some of
the weaknesses."
Cardinals starter Shelby Miller didn't allow a hit until the fourth
inning, but the game quickly got away from him.
"They started rolling on him and he gives up five hits in a row on
balls that got way too much of the plate," Cardinals manager Mike
Matheny said. "He went from real good to mistakes, but they jumped
on some mistakes,"
Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig drew a leadoff walk. With a shift
on, left-handed-hitting first baseman Adrian Gonzalez dropped a bunt
near the third base line for Los Angeles' first hit. Left fielder
Matt Kemp followed with an RBI single, driving in Puig for a 1-0
lead. Third baseman Juan Uribe plated Gonzalez on a sacrifice fly
for a 2-0 advantage.
In the fifth, Puig turned a routine single to left into a double
with two outs. He scored on Gonzalez's run-scoring single for a 3-0
lead. After a double by Kemp, Ethier launched a three-run shot into
the right field bleachers to complete the scoring.
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"Obviously, we don't need to contribute much with the way Kershaw
is pitching," said Ethier, who homered for the first time since May
27, a span of 25 games.
Miller was pitching for the first time since he left Tuesday's start
against the Colorado Rockies in the third inning because of back
spasms. Matheny said Miller had no lingering effects Sunday.
"His back felt fine," the manager said. "It's encouraging, one, that
his back was good and he's healthy, and two, we're watching him get
better with his stuff. It's just the execution of it."
Miller (7-7) gave up six runs on seven hits in five innings. He
walked three and struck out four.
Third baseman Matt Carpenter had half of the Cardinals' six hits.
Gonzalez and Kemp each collected two of the Dodgers' 10 hits.
Los Angeles right-handers Brandon League and Jamey Wright each threw
a scoreless inning to complete the win.
NOTES: Dodgers SS Hanley Ramirez did not play, and he is listed as
day-to-day after straining his left calf in Saturday's 9-1 win over
St. Louis. ... Los Angeles INF Justin Turner was placed on the
15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain. Turner also was
hurt Saturday. INF Carlos Triunfel was recalled from Triple-A
Albuquerque to fill Turner's spot. ... St. Louis RHP Jorge Rondon
was recalled from Triple-A Memphis. To make room, RHP Eric Fornataro
was optioned to Memphis. ... The Cardinals are off Monday. They
begin a three-game series Tuesday in San Francisco against the
Giants. ... The Dodgers host the Cleveland Indians in a three-game
set beginning Monday. ... The game drew a crowd of 47,739.
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