Brewers 3 - 2 Dodgers
Final
  for this game

Kershaw, Dodgers seek to even set with Brewers

Aug 16, 2014 - 3:15 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Unbeaten over his last 13 starts, Clayton Kershaw will try to secure his 15th win of the season on Saturday night and even the Los Angeles Dodgers' three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Kershaw has won 11 times and pitched to a 1.16 earned run average since his last loss on May 28. His latest victory came on Sunday against these same Brewers, who he held to one run on six hits and two walks over eight innings.

Not only did Kershaw dominate on the mound, striking out six, but he reached base three times and contributed an RBI to the 5-1 win.

Oh, and Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis claimed that the left-handed Kershaw was not in top form on the mound.

"(Kershaw) probably didn't have his best stuff and he was fighting against himself," Ellis said. "To go eight and keep that team to one run, it was a clinic on how to win when you don't have close to your best stuff."

Kershaw is 14-2 with a 1.78 ERA that is tops in the majors. The 26-year-old also improved to 5-3 with a 3.05 ERA in his career versus the Brewers.

Though not close to Kershaw's current string of success, Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo is on a nice run of his own that he'll try to extend tonight.

Gallardo has allowed one run or fewer in three of his last four starts, going 2-1 in that span to move to 7-6 on the year with a 3.44 ERA.

The 28-year-old righty did not face the Dodgers last weekend, instead taking the hill on Monday in a 3-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. Gallardo scattered six hits and fanned six without giving up a walk over seven innings of one-run ball.

"I made pitches whenever I needed to," said Gallardo. "I just gotta keep it (close) and let the guys come back and swing the bat."

Gallardo is just 1-4 in his career versus Los Angeles with a 5.98 ERA.

Milwaukee took two of three versus L.A. last weekend, then won last night's opener 6-3 in another meeting between division leaders.

The Dodgers seemed in control until the Brewers plated five runs in the eighth inning, with three coming on Lyle Overbay's pinch-hit double.

Scooter Gennett drove in two runs for the Brewers, who have been alone or at least tied for first place in the NL Central every day since April 5. Their lead in the division remained two games over St. Louis.

Overbay's hit gave the Brewers their second straight win.

"If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best," Overbay said. "It was a fastball and it was up. I had to swing at it. He made a mistake and I was lucky."

Milwaukee starter Jimmy Nelson gave up six hits and two runs over six innings, while Los Angeles' Zack Greinke was charged with two hits in five scoreless frames. Greinke left after throwing 99 pitches, just 55 for strikes in the opener of this three-game series.

"Getting Zack out early was big. That was important, " Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "We had good at-bats, but we couldn't hit him. Lyle has been so good off the bench. That eighth inning was huge."

Yasiel Puig went 3-for-4 with two RBI for the Dodgers, who maintained a 5 1/2- game lead in the NL West over the San Francisco Giants.






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