Clayton Kershaw Leads Dodgers To 1-0 Game 2 Win vs. Cubs And Ties NLCS

Clayton Kershaw struck out six over seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits and one walk to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night at Wrigley Field, a win that evened the National League Championship Series at one game apiece.

Clayton Kershaw Leads Dodgers To 1-0 Game 2 Win vs Cubs And Ties NLCS

Adrian Gonzalez hit a home run in the second inning off regular-season NL ERA leader Kyle Hendricks, and there was Kershaw’s lone run. Gonzalez has homered in six straight playoffs, just one shy of the Major League record, with three of the homers providing go-ahead runs.

The left-handed Kershaw made a few mistakes that led the crowd at Wrigley to taunt him, “KER-Shaw. KER-Shaw. KER-Shaw:” a four-pitch walk to lead off the seventh, and a dropped foul pop-up.

With no margin for error — three days after his first save, five days after his last start — Kershaw made the homer stand, but only barely, as a laser line-out to the track in center by Javier Baez capped off the seventh.

Manager Dave Roberts then turned to Kenley Jansen for a six-out save, only three days after Jansen’s 51-pitch setup of Kershaw’s save in the NL Division Series clincher.

“To see how Kersh takes this team on his back, you just want to go out there and give it the extra inch and try to get the win,” said Jansen.

This postseason, Kershaw has tossed 19 1/3 innings in three starts and one historic save over 10 days. After dropping Game 1 of the NLCS, 8-4, Los Angeles turned to their ace to prevent trailing 0-2, in the best-of-seven series that moved to Dodger Stadium for games Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

“It should surprise me what he’s doing,’’ Dodgers president Andrew Friedman says, “but being around him, the way he prepares, how he competes, it really doesn’t surprise me.

“It almost feels like I’m being too flippant about it, but I just know him well enough not to be surprised about it.’’

And Friedman is right. Kershaw has won three Cy Young Awards, and a NL MVP award. However, his playoff struggles lowered his status as one of MLB’s top aces. He entered this month with a 1-5 postseason record and 5.12 ERA.

Many ignored the fact that the ERA was inflated by his relievers allowing nine of his 14 inherited runners to score.

The only games the Dodgers have won this postseason are the ones in which Kershaw has pitched.

“It’s a good feeling,” said Kershaw. “I don’t know how to rank games or anything like that, but we needed this win tonight bad, and going back home after splitting [the two games] in Chicago, we like where we’re at right now, and it feels good to get that win.”

The lefty retired the first 14 batters he faced before Baez singled to left. Rookie Wilson Contreras followed with another base hit, but Kershaw got Jason Heyward to pop up and end the fifth.

According to Elias, Kershaw tied Jerry Reuss (Game 2, 1981 NLDS) and Sandy Koufax (Game 1, 1963 World Series) for the longest no-hit bid by a Dodgers pitcher in the postseason at 4 2/3 innings.

Kershaw also set a Dodgers record for an NLCS game, topping previous record holder Hyun-Jin Ryu, who went four innings before giving up a hit in Game 3 of the 2013 NLCS.

Even the opposing team’s manager praised the Dodgers ace.

“Give him credit, man,” said Cubs manager Joe Maddon. “I thought he pitched primarily with his fastball. The thing that I was really curious about was velocity and location before the game, and he had both. … He kept the ball off the fat part of our bat. He threw strikes like he normally does. So despite not having rest, his command and velocity were still good.”

Kershaw now is 5-6 in the postseason.

The two teams will face off for Game 3 in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Left-hander Rich Hill was named to start Game 3 for the Dodgers. Hill, on short rest, started for the Dodgers in the epic Game 5 of the NL Division Series vs. the Nationals, allowing one run in 2 2/3 innings with six strikeouts. 

Righty Jake Arrieta will start for the Cubs.

CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 16: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch in the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs during game two of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field on October 16, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)