Dodgers down Brewers 5-2, lead NLCS 3-2

Kershaw gem puts Los Angeles one win away from World Series

LOS ANGELES, Oct 18, (AP): Clayton Kershaw bounced back from one of his worst postseason starts with one of his best, pitching the Los Angeles Dodgers past the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 Wednesday to move one win from a return trip to the World Series. The Dodgers 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. season, was hitless in four at-bats. He is 3 for 20 without an RBI in the NLCS.

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 loudly.

The team that hit a franchise and NLleading 235 home runs in the regular season did it playing small ball instead, driving in all but one of its runs on singles.

Tied 1-all, Muncy grounded a 1-2 pitch from Brandon Woodruff into left field, scoring Justin Turner, who led off with a single. Yasiel Puig singled to center with two outs, bringing home Manny Machado after he was hit by a pitch from Corbin Burnes.

Los Angeles extended the lead to 5-1 in the seventh on Turner’s RBI single that scored Kershaw, who walked, and pinch-hitter Brian Dozier’s RBI groundout.

Kershaw has struggled in the postseason during his career, with his numbers never matching his excellence during the regular season.

But his outing Wednesday nearly matched what he did in Game 2 of the NL Division Series against Atlanta. Kershaw allowed two hits over eight shutout innings, struck out three and walked none in the best postseason outing of his career.

The Brewers led 1-0 in the third on Lorenzo Cain’s RBI double to deep center.

Milwaukee had gone scoreless over the final eight innings Tuesday and the first two innings Wednesday.