KERSHAW WINS 13TH STRAIGHT DECISION
Jansen Digs Deep for Save; Ramirez, Gonzales Homer
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2 (AP) – Clayton Kershaw allowed two earned runs and struck out 10 in 7-1/3 innings and Kenley Jansen recorded five outs en route to recording his 39th save of the season as Los Angeles defeated the Washington Nationals 4-3 before a sellout crowd at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw has now won a major league best 13 consecutive decisions, two better than the previous mark jointly held by Madison Bumgarner of the Giants and Chris Sale of the White Sox. Kershaw also holds the top mark for double digit strikeout games (10) this season, two better than anyone else (Sale and Yu Darvish of the Rangers each have eight).
The game, played between the teams with the two best records in the National League, lived up to its billing and was hard-fought throughout. The clubs—and the electric atmosphere supplied by the big crowd—gave the contest a playoff feel.
The Nationals jumped out in front in the top of the first. Anthony Rendon led off with a double into the right field corner and scored one out later on Jayson Werth’s two-bagger.
But the Dodgers seized the lead in the bottom of the third. A.J. Ellis led off with a single to center and when Rendon booted Kershaw’s sacrifice attempt, the Dodgers had runners on first and second with no outs. Dee Gordon dropped a base hit into center off of Doug Fister to load the bases. Hanley Ramirez’s grounder to third resulted in a force at the plate for the first out and when Adrian Gonzalez grounded to short it appeared that Washington would escape the inning unscathed. But while the force at second was recorded, Asdrubel Cabrera’s relay to first pulled Kevin Frandsen off the bag, allowing Kershaw to score the tying run. The play was scored as a fielder’s choice, with no error, and the next hitter, Matt Kemp, took advantage, doubling to right, scoring Gordon to give Los Angeles a 2-1 lead. Carl Crawford grounded to third to end the inning.
The Nationals came back to tie the game in the fourth, with some help from the Dodgers defense. Ian Desmond doubled to right-center to open the frame and Wilson Ramos’ slow roller to third resulted in the first out, with Desmond advancing 90 feet. With the infield in, Bryce Harper rolled to second but Dee Gordon let the ball roll right through his legs for an error, scoring Desmond with the tying run.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Dodgers reclaimed the advantage when Gonzales hit an opposite field home run, his 29th long ball of the season, making the score 3-2. And in the seventh Ramirez crushed his 17th home run of the season deep into the left field pavilion, giving Los Angeles a 4-2 lead.
Kershaw seemed firmly in command, retiring 12 straight batters after Harper reached on Gordon’s miscue in the fourth, and he opened the eighth inning by fanning pinch hitter Tyler Moore for his 10th strikeout of the game. But Rendon singled through the box and, on the first pitch to pinch hitter Danny Espinosa, Kershaw plunked the infielder, bringing the tying run to the plate. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly had his bullpen working and with lefty killer Werth due up he summoned right-hander Brandon League, who had been warming up aside Jansen. But the strategy didn’t work. Werth lined a base hit to right-center, scoring Rendon and advancing the tying run to third. The Dodgers stalled for time and, after Desmond was announced, Mattingly strode to the mound again and called on Jansen. He was asking his closer to escape a two-on, one-out jam and then, presumably, to retire three more batters in the ninth.
Desmond was the first order of business and the home club dodged a bullet when the Washington shortstop lined sharply to Gordon at second. Jansen then overpowered pinch hitter Nate Schierholtz, fanning him on three pitches, to keep the Dodgers ahead.
Nationals reliever Aaron Barrett walked Joc Pederson with two outs and then uncorked a wild pitch moving him to second, but he intentionally walked Ellis to bring Jansen to the plate, knowing that the Dodgers wouldn’t pinch hit for their closer. He retired Jansen on a soft grounder to third to move the game to the ninth inning.
Jansen was steadfast. He struck out Harper, then retired pinch hitter Adam LaRoche and Fransen on grounders to short to complete the perfect five-batter stint.
The two NLCS favorites will meet for the sixth and final time in the regular season tomorrow with Jordan Zimmerman of Washington squaring off against Carlo Frias of Los Angles. Zimmerman is 17-3 on the season; Frias is making his first start of the year.
9/2/2014, Was14-LAN14, Dodger Stadium
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP
2014 Nationals 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 6 1 5 0
2014 Dodgers 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 x 4 9 1 8 0
Nationals AB R H BI AVG Dodgers AB R H BI AVG
Rendon 3b 4 2 2 0 .299 Gordon,D 2b 4 1 1 0 .258
Cabrera,A 2b 3 0 0 0 .236 Ramirez,H ss 4 1 1 1 .258
Espinosa ph 0 0 0 0 .247 Rojas ss 0 0 0 0 .112
Werth rf 4 0 2 2 .338 Gonzalez,Ad 1b 4 1 1 2 .278
Desmond ss 4 1 1 0 .289 Kemp rf 4 0 1 1 .264
Ramos,W c 3 0 0 0 .250 Crawford,C lf 4 0 2 0 .314
Schierholtz ph 1 0 0 0 .195 Uribe 3b 4 0 0 0 .349
Barrett p 0 0 0 0 .000 Pederson cf 3 0 1 0 .250
Harper cf 4 0 0 0 .254 Ellis,A c 3 0 1 0 .162
Hairston lf 3 0 1 0 .191 Kershaw p 2 1 1 0 .271
LaRoche ph 1 0 0 0 .238 League p 0 0 0 0 .000
Frandsen 1b 4 0 0 0 .249 Jansen p 1 0 0 0 .000
Fister p 2 0 0 0 .083 33 4 9 4
Moore,T ph 1 0 0 0 .250
Lobaton c 0 0 0 0 .242
34 3 6 2
Nationals INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Fister L 13-7 7.0 9 4 2 0 3 107 71 3.75
Barrett 1.0 0 0 0 2 1 23 11 3.09
8.0 9 4 2 2 4 130 82
Dodgers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Kershaw W 18-3 7.1 5 3 2 0 10 106 74 1.51
League 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 4.01
Jansen S 39 1.2 0 0 0 0 2 25 18 1.70
9.0 6 3 2 0 12 132 93
Was: Moore,T batted for Fister in the 8th
Espinosa batted for Cabrera,A in the 8th
Schierholtz batted for Ramos,W in the 8th
Espinosa moved to 2b in the 8th
Lobaton inserted at c in the 8th
LaRoche batted for Hairston in the 9th
LAN: Rojas inserted at ss in the 8th
E-Rendon, Gordon,D. 2B-Rendon(30), Werth(42), Desmond(24), Kemp(37).
HR-Ramirez,H(17), Gonzalez,Ad(29). RBI-Werth 2(97), Ramirez,H(58),
Gonzalez,Ad 2(98), Kemp(58). SB-Crawford,C(20). K-Rendon, Cabrera,A, Werth,
Ramos,W, Harper 2, Hairston 2, Frandsen, Fister, Moore,T, Schierholtz, Kemp,
Uribe 2, Pederson. BB-Pederson, Ellis,A. SH-Kershaw. HBP-Espinosa.
HB-Kershaw. WP-Barrett.
GWRBI: Gonzalez,Ad
Temperature: 74, Sky: clear, Wind: out to center at 9 MPH.
Attendance: 56,034
Game Time: 2:56