LOS ANGELES _ The opposing starter had departed after facing only one batter, but there Clayton Kershaw stood, on the mound in the center of Dodger Stadium, a living, breathing anachronism for seven innings in an 5-2 victory in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. The starting pitcher may be going the way of the dodo, but Kershaw is still holding firm, even as his fastball dims and his mileage increases. He is not ready for extinction.
The 2018 season has not been easy on Kershaw. He hurt his shoulder. He hurt his back. Some days hurt his pride. Few games looked worse than the opening night of this series, when the Milwaukee Brewers disposed of him in three-plus innings. He returned the favor on Wednesday, carving up Milwaukee's lineup with nine strikeouts to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 3-2 series lead and deposit the team on the doorstep of another World Series.
Kershaw permitted one run and three hits. In the days between his outings, he sharpened his slider so it resembled the weapon of old. The Brewers failed to make contact, flummoxed as Kershaw spun sliders and curveballs, unable to connect with his fastball.
The Dodgers will have two chances to capture their second consecutive pennant this weekend at Miller Park. They took advantage of their time at Dodger Stadium, taking two of three while bullying the Brewers offense. The Dodgers managed to win consecutive games without hitting a home run for the first time since July 11-12.
The offense returned from a 13-inning marathon Tuesday with enough juice in their tank to topple Milwaukee's bullpen. The usual suspects catalyzed the offense. Justin Turner scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning on a single by Max Muncy. Turner contributed an RBI single in the seventh to score Kershaw himself. In those two innings, the Dodgers deviated from their usual strategy of slugging and slumping. They made productive outs, slapped singles and ran with abandon.
The day started with subterfuge. Before the game, manager Dave Roberts wondered how long Milwaukee would stick with starter Wade Miley. He also wondered who might start Game 6 on Friday for the Brewers. The answer emerged after one batter Wednesday: It would be Miley.
Penciled in the lineup as the starting pitcher, Miley effectively threw a bullpen session. He walked leadoff hitter Cody Bellinger on five pitches. Brewers manager Craig Counsell emerged from the dugout. Into the game loped reliever Brandon Woodruff, a converted starter capable of logging multiple innings.
The decision looked confounding on the surface. Why start a pitcher for only one at-bat? The Brewers were attempting to bait the Dodgers into loading up their lineup with right-handed hitters to face the left-handed Miley. Roberts countered by sticking with left-handed hitters such as Bellinger and Muncy, to prevent exploitation.
The onus for the afternoon still resided with Kershaw. He finished the first inning by doing something he could not do once in Game 1, generating a swinging strike with his slider. Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun swung over a pair of sliders for Kershaw's first strikeout of the game. Kershaw ended the second by fooling third baseman Mike Moustakas with another slider.
Milwaukee dented Kershaw in the third. He yielded a single to shortstop Orlando Arcia. Up came Woodruff, who had homered off Kershaw in Game 1. Counsell instructed Woodruff to bunt the runner to second. Kershaw could not oblige with a pitch in the zone. When a 3-1 fastball missed just outside, Kershaw gawked at umpire Jim Wolf as Woodruff walked to first base.
Two pitches later, outfielder Lorenzo Cain roped an RBI double over Bellinger's head in center field. The Dodgers benefited from Woodruff's lack of speed. He had to hold at third base. A walk by Ryan Braun loaded the bases, but Kershaw punched out first baseman Jesus Aguilar with a 90-mph fastball to limit the damage. The inning required 32 pitches.
Woodruff kept the Dodgers at bay. He induced Manny Machado to ground into a double play in the first inning and another in the fourth. Machado managed to run through the bag on both occasions without colliding with Aguilar.
Chris Taylor revived the offense in the fifth. He rolled a leadoff grounder up the middle, where Arcia tried to make a spinning throw to first. The ball skipped by Aguilar for an error, which placed Taylor at second. Taylor stole third base uncontested. Austin Barnes tied the game by stroking a single into center.
The hit kept Kershaw in the game _ Yasiel Puig was loosening up in the on-deck circle as Barnes batted. Kershaw was in the midst of a dominant stretch. He retired 13 consecutive batters after Braun walked in the third. Kershaw notched two strikeouts in the fifth and victimized Aguilar with a curveball for the third out in the sixth.
The offense built a lead for Kershaw in the bottom of the inning. Turner led off with a single. Woodruff clipped Machado with a 95-mph fastball. After striking out in his first two at-bats, Muncy simplified his approach for a third try with Woodruff. When Woodruff swept a slider away from Muncy, he grounded it into the opposite field for an RBI single.
Puig entered the fray moments later. He had spent the game on the bench, but Roberts sent him to bat for Enrique Hernandez. Puig delighted in the spotlight. He licked his bat before he stepped in the box. He stamped his feet and shimmied his hips. When he flared an RBI single into center off reliever Corbin Burnes, he waved at his dugout before the baseball landed in the grass.
Kershaw would not pitch the eighth. But Roberts let him bat in the seventh. The decision paid dividends. Brewers reliever Joakim Soria walked him. A double by Bellinger put two runners in scoring position. Turner ripped an RBI single up the middle. Brian Dozier brought home Bellinger with a groundout to up the lead to four.
Kershaw returned to the dugout after he scored on Turner's hit. Roberts greeted him with a hug.
