Kershaw Ks 13 as Dodgers eliminate Brewers 3-0

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw struck out 13 while delivering eight innings of three-hit ball, Mookie Betts snapped a scoreless tie with a two-out, two-run double in the fifth, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 to sweep their NL wild-card series on Thursday night.

The eight-time West champion Dodgers advanced to the NL Division Series in Arlington, Texas, and will play either the St. Louis Cardinals or San Diego Padres, who meet in a deciding Game 3 on Friday.

Kershaw's strikeouts were a playoff career high and the most by a Dodgers pitcher in the postseason since his mentor Sandy Koufax had 15 in Game 1 of the 1963 World Series against the Yankees. Kershaw issued his lone walk to Luis Urias in the eighth and promptly picked him off when a diving Urias couldn't get back to the bag. The Brewers lost their challenge of the call.

Kershaw, a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner, showed none of the fallibility that's plagued his postseason career. He came in with a 9-11 record and 4.43 ERA in the playoffs.

He had his way with the beleaguered Brewers. He gave up singles to Jedd Gyorko, Urias and Keston Hiura.

Neither team managed to hit a ball hard as Brandon Woodruff and Kershaw dueled through four innings. Only two of the Dodgers' nine hitters didn't strike out during that span; five of the Brewers didn't.

Los Angeles managed just one hit through four innings, a single by Austin Barnes, before breaking out in the fifth.

Cody Bellinger and Chris Taylor had back-to-back singles up the middle with one out. AJ Pollock grounded into a fielder's choice to third and Urias stepped on the bag to force Bellinger and fired to first. But Gyorko couldn't handle the throw in time to complete the double play.

Barnes singled with two outs to set up Betts,...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Kershaw-Ks-13-as-Dodgers-eliminate-Brewers-3-0-15614890.php