Kershaw's 13 Ks, McKinstry's slam lift Dodgers past Cubs 7-1

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw wrapped up the eighth inning and left the mound to a standing ovation from the Dodger Stadium crowd after a performance measuring up to the best in his remarkable career.

Those wild cheers quickly turned to boos when umpires inspected him for foreign substances, but Kershaw only smiled and then waved his cap as the roar returned.

“To have a full crowd of Dodgers fans again, I missed it, and it's awesome,” Kershaw said. “I don't ever want to go back.”

Kershaw and the Dodgers are surging forward again after a week that began with a few steps backward for the defending World Series champions.

Kershaw racked up a season-high 13 strikeouts over eight dominant innings, and Zach McKinstry hit a grand slam in the second inning of Los Angeles' 7-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night.

Cody Bellinger homered in his second straight game and drove in three runs in the Dodgers’ third consecutive win over Chicago after four Cubs pitchers combined for a no-hitter in the series opener Thursday.

Kershaw (9-7) yielded four hits while flummoxing the Cubs with his slider, recording his highest strikeout total in a regular-season game since July 2017 and getting a season-high 26 swings and misses.

“It’s hard to imagine him being any better,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Beyond Kershaw’s brilliance, the Dodgers appear to be back on form after they followed up three straight losses in San Diego with their lifeless effort in Chicago’s no-hitter.

“Coming back here and being no-hit, I think that maybe was a wakeup call in some regards,” Kershaw said. “It was kind of a collective effort, the reasons why we were struggling there. We’ve got back on the highs the last three games, and it was good...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Kershaw-s-13-Ks-McKinstry-s-slam-lifts-Dodgers-16278024.php