The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Dodgers’ victory clinches home through playoffs
LOS ANGELES >> The Dodgers’ franchise-record 109th win of the 2022 season ended as many have before: a lopsided score and a pitching appearance by utility player Hanser Alberto.
Their 10-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night came with an added bonus: home-field advantage through the end of the World Series.
An eight-run outburst in the fourth inning gave starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (11-3) ample room to win his penultimate start of the regular season.
Kershaw tossed six shutout innings and the Dodgers didn’t allow a run until Alberto took the mound in the ninth inning.
Cody Bellinger hit his first home run in more than a month during the fourthinning rally, the Dodgers’ only home run before an announced crowd of 52,025 at Dodger Stadium.
Mookie Betts went 3 for 5, Chris Taylor went 3 for 4, and Bellinger and Will Smith had two hits apiece.
Kershaw has not been on the losing end of a decision since July 30 in Colorado. He missed nearly a month with a lower-back injury shortly thereafter, but in six starts since returning from the injured list Kershaw is 4-0 with a 1.50 earned-run average.
For a pitcher whose durability has been more of a concern than his effectiveness, the recent stretch has been particularly encouraging for Kershaw. His last five starts have all lasted six innings or longer. His 2.30 ERA for the season would be the sixthlowest if he had enough innings to qualify.
Kershaw threw 88 pitches and induced fewer swings and misses (12) than balls in play (18). But Colorado’s five hits averaged less than 78 mph, and Kershaw stepped up in the game’s clutch moments. With runners on second and third base and one out, Kershaw struck out Elias Diaz and got Ezequiel Tovar to fly out to end the second inning. In the third inning, he got out of another two-on, one-out jam by inducing a flyout and an infield popup. The left-hander did not allow another runner past first base.
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