Kershaw helps L.A. move step closer to World Series
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw bounced back from one of his worst postseason starts with one of his best, pitching Los Angeles past the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 Wednesday to leave the Dodgers one win from a return trip to the World Series.
Los Angeles took a 3-2 lead in the NL Championship Series, boosted by Max Muncy’s go-ahead single in the sixth inning. Kershaw held the lead, scoring an insurance run in the seventh and then exiting.
“To go back to Milwaukee up 3-2 as opposed to being down 3-2 is huge for us,” Kershaw said. “It’s been a battle every single game we’ve played them so far, and we don’t expect anything different when we go back.”
Game 6 is Friday night in Milwaukee. The Brewers will start left-hander Wade Miley, who walked Cody Bellinger to open Game 5 before getting pulled in a strategic move by manager Craig Counsell. Lefthander Hyun-Jin Ryu will start for the Dodgers.
“We’re in a good spot, man,” Counsell said. “We’re going back home, to me, in a position of strength.”
The Dodgers haven’t been in back-to-back World Series since losing to the Yankees in 1977 and ’78. They were beaten by Houston in Game 7 last year.
The teams reconvened less than 15 hours after the Dodgers eked out a 2-1 victory Tuesday night on Bellinger’s RBI single with two outs in a 13-inning game that lasted more than five hours.
Kershaw was well-rested and masterful in allowing one run and three hits over seven. He struck out nine, all on breaking pitches, and walked two.
“It’s just a classic case of he executed a lot of pitches,” Counsell said.
Kershaw recovered from the shortest postseason start of his career. He lasted just three innings in losing the NLCS opener, giving up five runs — four earned — at Miller Park.
“I don’t know if it was that much better, just a little bit better execution maybe,” Kershaw said of his repertoire. “Maybe I threw some more curveballs today than I did in Game 1.”
The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner pitched in and out of trouble in the third, when the Brewers loaded the bases and scored their run. Kershaw struck out Jesus Aguilar to end the third, the first of 13 consecutive batters the left-hander retired.
Curtis Granderson hit an RBI double in the ninth. Kenley Jansen, the Dodgers’ third pitcher of the ninth, came in for the last out and the save.
Brewers right fielder Christian Yelich, who nearly won the NL Triple Crown this season, was hitless in four at-bats. He is 3-for-20 without an RBI in the NLCS.
“Just not capitalizing,” he said. “It’s frustrating.”
The Dodgers’ offense broke loose with five runs over the fifth, sixth and seventh innings that had the sellout crowd of 54,502 on its feet whipping blue towels and cheering.