• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Kershaw excellent once more, Dodgers silence Marlins

Aug 22, 2013 - 10:16 PM Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Carl Crawford knocked in a pair of runs and Clayton Kershaw worked eight scoreless innings, as Los Angeles took down Miami, 6-0, in the finale of a four-game series.

Yasiel Puig, A.J. Ellis and Skip Schumaker added an RBI each for the Dodgers, who won the final three in the set and 13 of their last 15 overall.

Kershaw (13-7) gave up five hits and three walks against six strikeouts to record his fifth win in the last seven starts. He also aided his cause with a fourth-inning RBI single, but wasn't too pleased with his overall effort.

"I was terrible the first few innings. I didn't have much command of my pitches," Kershaw said. "Things could have gone a lot differently, it could have gotten out of hand pretty quick."

Brian Wilson turned in a scoreless ninth in his first major league appearance of 2013. The former San Francisco closer endured Tommy John surgery and subsequent recovery.

Henderson Alvarez (2-3) was charged in defeat for seven hits and five runs over five-plus frames for the Marlins, who have lost five of their last six outings.

"The whole series came down to execution. They made the plays and we didn't," said Marlins manager Mike Redmond. "I've seen Kershaw a lot better, but when he put a guy on, he was able to recover and keep us at bay."

The Dodgers broke through in the fourth. Puig began the frame with a double that rebounded off the top of the wall in dead center, and after the next two batters were retired, Schumaker was plunked and Juan Uribe walked to load the bases. Kershaw dumped a single to plate one, then Crawford's double that eluded Giancarlo Stanton in right brought home two more.

LA tacked on two more in the fifth as Andre Ethier and Ellis doubled, the latter moved up on a wild pitch and then scored on a Schumaker single.

In the seventh, a leadoff double from Adrian Gonzalez chased Alvarez from the contest, but Gil Velazquez uncorked a passed ball and Gonzalez came in on a Puig fly to center to make it 6-0.

Kershaw worked out of a first-and-third, one-out jam in the second, then sailed smoothly for the remainder of his performance. He set down the final five Marlins before giving way to Wilson, who served up a two-out double to Greg Dobbs before fanning Justin Ruggiano to end the contest.

"It was long overdue, but I'm glad I went through it to get back here," Wilson said after finishing off LA's 17th shutout of the season. "I felt comfortable."

Game Notes

Kershaw has worked at least eight innings in each of his last three starts, five of his last six and 12 times total this season . His current ERA of 1.72 is just a tick lower than Sandy Koufax's career-low for one season, 1.73 in 1966 ... Wilson last took the mound on Apr. 12, 2012 at Colorado for the San Francisco Giants ... Stanton extended his hit streak to nine games with a 1-for-4 performance, having entered play batting .353 in the first eight games of the run.