Kershaw dominant as Dodgers beat Brewers

AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES — 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.

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 an interesting piece of strategy by manager Craig Counsell. Lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu will go for the Dodgers.

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 Cody Bellinger's RBI single with two outs in a 13-inning game that lasted over 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.

Kershaw recovered from the shortest postseason start of his career. He lasted just three innings in losing the NLCS opener while giving up five runs — four earned — at Miller Park.

[AP PHOTO] Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig reacts after hitting an RBI single during the sixth inning of Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against Milwaukee on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

[AP PHOTO] In court documents filed this week in a lawsuit following the 2015 death of a fan who fell from the upper deck at an Atlanta Braves game, Nolan Ryan testified guard rails at the Texas Rangers’ stadium had to be raised “to protect our fans from themselves.”