Major League Baseball

Kershaw bounces back from awful start, goes 6 strong to beat Phils

Published May. 23, 2014 11:15 p.m. ET

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PHILADELPHIA — Clayton Kershaw couldn't wait to take the ball after a rough outing.

Kershaw allowed two hits over six innings, Carl Crawford hit a solo homer and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 on Friday night.

Kershaw (3-1) bounced back from his worst start in two years with an excellent performance, striking out nine. The two-time Cy Young Award winner allowed seven runs in 1 2/3 innings  — the second-shortest outing of his career  — in an 18-7 loss to Arizona last Saturday.

"I was kind of miserable for four, five days," Kershaw said. "It was no fun sitting on a game like that."

Roberto Hernandez (2-2) allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings in his first start since May 9. Hernandez pitched out of the bullpen the past two weeks because the Phillies didn't need a fifth starter.

The Dodgers have won three of four. The Phillies have lost three in a row, tying their season low of five games under .500.

Four relievers combined to finish off the three-hitter. Brian Wilson had a perfect eighth and Kenley Jansen closed it out for his 14th save in 15 tries.

Dee Gordon led off the game with a single, stole two bases and scored on Yasiel Puig's single. Crawford led off the second with a drive out to right-center for his fourth homer of the year.

"I'm just trying to get on base," said Gordon, who played on this field as a kid when his father, Tom Gordon, was the Phillies' closer. "There are some guys with big numbers hitting behind me."

After a 43-minute rain delay in the top of the fourth, the Phillies wasted several opportunities with runners in scoring position the rest of the game. They had runners on second and third with no outs in the fourth after Carlos Ruiz walked and Chase Utley hit a double, the first hit off Kershaw.

But the hard-throwing lefty escaped the jam by striking out Marlon Byrd, Ryan Howard and Darin Ruf. Each went down swinging at pitches in the dirt that required catcher A.J. Ellis to throw to first.

They had runners on first and second with no outs in the sixth, but Utley flied out, Byrd fouled out and Howard struck out looking.

"Kershaw did the job when he needed to and we didn't," Byrd said.

Reliever Brandon League replaced Kershaw to start the seventh and left after loading the bases. J.P. Howell entered and retired pinch-hitter Domonic Brown on a sinking liner that Crawford caught sliding. Ben Revere inexplicably didn't tag up and stayed at third. Jimmy Rollins then grounded into a third-to-home fielder's choice. Ruiz flied out to right to end the threat.

"He got a little break on Brown's liner, but he did a good job," manager Don Mattingly said of Howell.

The Phillies were shut out for the sixth time, including fifth at home. They 8-13 at Citizens Bank Park.

Kershaw has won 13 straight decisions against NL East opponents since 2011. He has a 1.30 ERA in 17 starts in that span and has a 29 innings scoreless streak vs. the East.

"I remembered how to get people out," Kershaw said.

NOTES

League hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 15 appearances, spanning 21 1/3 innings. ... Dodgers SS Erisbel Arruebarrena made his major-league debut, giving Hanley Ramirez a rest. He was 0 for 3 with three strikeouts.. ... Dodgers CF Matt Kemp wasn't in the starting lineup a day after Mattingly expressed concern over the former All-Star's defense. Kemp missed 145 games over the previous two seasons because of injuries. ... Phillies first-base coach Juan Samuel was ejected in the bottom of the fifth inning. It wasn't obvious why he was upset. ... Cesar Hernandez made his first start at 3B for the Phillies. ... Phillies RHP David Buchanan makes his major-league debut Saturday afternoon in place of the injured Cliff Lee. Dan Haren (5-2, 3.18) goes for the Dodgers. 

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