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Kershaw sharp as Dodgers top Rockies

Sep 14, 2008 - 5:45 AM DENVER (Ticker) -- Clayton Kershaw tossed six strong innings and Russell Martin drove in a pair of runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers posted their fourth straight win Saturday, a 5-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

With the triumph, Los Angeles (77-71) moved 4 1/2 games ahead of Arizona (72-75) in the National League West. The Diamondbacks dropped a 3-2 decision in 10 innings to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night.

"Tell you the truth, I quit watching the standings when we took over the lead," Los Angeles' Casey Blake said. "I haven't looked at an Arizona score in I don't know how many days. We are winning, and that's all I care about."

Entering 0-2 against the Rockies in his brief career, Kershaw (4-5) yielded just one run and four hits in this one. The 20-year-old lefthander walked two and struck out seven.

"We came out and established throwing breaking balls for strikes, and we did that from the first inning on," Kershaw said. "This is a pretty aggressive, fastball-hitting team, and that's what got me in trouble (against them) last time. So I threw a steady diet of curveballs at them, and changeups, and kept them off-balance a little better tonight."

"I was really pleased to see him come out tonight after that outing he had (here) last time," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "He pitched himself out of trouble. He made good pitches, got a double play, so that was about as complete as you can get, especially in this ballpark."

Angel Berroa snapped a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning with an RBI double and Martin delivered a run-scoring single two batters later.

"The first at-bat, I saw a lot of breaking pitches, so I put it in my mind that that is what I would get," Berroa said. "They know I can hit a fastball."

Juan Pierre capped the three-run frame with a sacrifice fly, and Martin plated an insurance run in the sixth with a groundout.

Blake opened the scoring with a solo homer in the second inning for Los Angeles, which has won 12 of 13.

"If we keep showing up and preparing ourselves like this and expecting to win like this, this is the way the team is capable of playing right now," Blake said. "That's all there is to it. We are on a pretty good streak right now. I don't think it's a surprise for anybody."

"I sense right now we have a pretty good resolve," Torre added. "All of a sudden, we feel that we have something special going."

The Dodgers got an early lead against Jorge De La Rosa (8-8) as Blake led off the second by depositing a 1-1 offering over the left-field wall for his ninth homer since being acquired from the Cleveland Indians in late July.

"He throws it pretty good," Blake said of De La Rosa. "I was just fortunate to get one on the barrel (of the bat)."

Colorado pulled even in the third on Clint Barmes' two-out RBI single. But Los Angeles erupted for three runs an inning later to take control.

Matt Kemp led off with a single and Blake DeWitt walked on four pitches before Berroa broke the deadlock with a double to left field. After Kershaw grounded out, Martin plated a run with a single and former Rockie Pierre drove in another with his flyout.

Los Angeles added a run in the sixth, when DeWitt beat a close play at the plate on a grounder to third by Martin. Colorado catcher Chris Iannetta still was able to throw out Martin at first after the late tag.

De La Rosa, who had won three of his previous four decisions, surrendered four runs and seven hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out five in falling to 0-3 lifetime against the Dodgers.

Barmes registered two of the five hits by Colorado, which has lost seven in a row.

"We've had a tough go of it lately," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "But you have to tip your hat to (the Dodgers)."