Daily Clips

May 13, 2016

LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2016

OC REGISTER: Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw masterful with three-hit shutout, 13 Ks against Mets-Bill Plunkett Dodgers lineups: It's 'must-win' when Kershaw pitches, Dave Roberts says-Bill Plunkett Former Texas A&M roommates Ross Stripling, Michael Wacha to square off when Dodgers, Cardinals meet Friday-Bill Plunkett On deck: Cardinals at Dodgers, Friday, 7 p.m. -Bill Plunkett DODGERS.COM: Kershaw mows down Mets with 13-K shutout-Jack Baer and Ken Gurnick Record-setting Kershaw leaves teammates in awe-Ken Gurnick Bullpen enjoying impressive span of success-Jack Baer A.J. Ellis almost took out Charlie Culberson after BP mix-up, but they laughed about it later-Adrian Garro LA TIMES: Clayton Kershaw strikes out 13 in Dodgers' 5-0 win over Mets-Andy McCullough Amazing Clayton Kershaw has Dodgers and fans singing a different tune-Bill Plaschke Former college teammates Ross Stripling and Michael Wacha will face off Friday-Andy McCullough DODGER INSIDER: The Superlative Store called, and it’s running out of Kershaw-Jon Weisman Kershaw CCL has arrived-Jon Weisman LADF 50/50 Raffle debuts tonight at Dodger Stadium-Erin Edwards TRUEBLUELA.COM: Mike Bolsinger makes second solid rehab appearance-Craig Minami Clayton Kershaw strikes out a baker's dozen while shutting out Mets-Eric Stephen Pablo Fernandez out for the season after Tommy John surgery-Eric Stephen Dodgers sent Casey Fien outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City-Eric Stephen Clayton Kershaw and Sandy Koufax at 250 starts-Eric Stephen ESPN LA: Clayton Kershaw continues to do legendary stuff for Dodgers-Doug Padilla Clayton Kershaw K's 13 as Dodgers top Mets-Doug Padilla Clayton Kershaw just keeps getting better and better-ESPN Stats and Information Dodgers beat Mets 5-0 behind Kershaw's 13 Ks-AP Roommate rivalry: Dodgers' Ross Stripling vs. Cardinals' Michael Wacha-Doug Padilla Dodgers riding Clayton Kershaw hard into first turn-Doug Padilla NBC LA: Clayton Kershaw is Masterful in 5-0 Shutout of Mets-Michael Duarte The Best Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo Gallery)-Michael Duarte Trayce Thompson: Dodgers' Rookie Bursts onto the Scene in Big Way-Michael Duarte YAHOO! SPORTS: Clayton Kershaw: Man...myth...legend-Tim Brown Prospect Heat Check: The kid with more hype than Clayton Kershaw-Jeff Passan NEW YORK TIMES: Clayton Kershaw Shuts Down the Mets, Including Bartolo Colon-David Waldstein LA TIMES: Dodgers Dugout: It's time to send Yasiel Puig to the minors-Houston Mitchell

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2016

OC REGISTER

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw masterful with three-hit shutout, 13 Ks against Mets By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES – Bartolo Colon might be king of the GIF. But Clayton Kershaw is master of his domain. Kershaw struck out 13 in a three-hit shutout as the Dodgers beat Colon and the New York Mets, 5-0, Thursday night to salvage a split of their four-game series at Dodger Stadium. In his 250th career start, Kershaw threw his second complete-game shutout this season and the 14th of his career. Eight of those have come at Dodger Stadium where Kershaw is 66-29 with a 2.06 ERA and hasn’t given up a run in his past two starts – both of his shutouts. “Clayton was Clayton. He’s a beast,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He was just completely dominant. I don’t think there’s enough adjectives to describe what he does for our ballclub.” Basically – he makes them winners. The Dodgers are now 7-1 in his eight starts this season, 11-16 the rest of the time. “He had a lot of quick outs, a lot of strikeouts,” Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal said of Kershaw who threw only 109 pitches in the complete game. “It seemed like he was cruising.” Maybe because he was. Kershaw retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced (five by strikeout), a stretch interrupted only by a first-inning walk to David Wright. That was Kershaw’s first walk since the eighth inning of his April 21 start in Atlanta. In between, Kershaw struck out 34 in 23 innings before issuing another free ride. He leads the majors with a silly 19.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio – that actually went down (from 21.33 to start the game) tonight. It might be a sign that Kershaw’s command is getting even better or he is getting even smarter on the mound. Neither bodes well for opposing hitters. “I’m definitely not smarter,” Kershaw joked. “Other than knowing that walking guys is how you get in trouble. I’d rather make them string hits together. You want to make them beat you and not give them any help. “I feel like my delivery has been pretty solid all year. I’ve been able to repeat pitches. Maybe it’s a combination of that. But definitely not smarter.”

Kershaw’s only blips were a leadoff single by Asdrubal Cabrera in the fourth and two-out hits by Curtis Granderson (a double in the sixth) and Cabrera again (in the ninth). Between Cabrera’s two hits, Kershaw retired 16 of 17 Mets. “He had great feel (for his curveball),” Roberts said. “Just the fastball command, the slider depth – everything was special.” It was Kershaw’s fifth consecutive start with at least 10 strikeouts, a new franchise record (the MLB record is eight). And with the shutout, Kershaw moved to the top of the leaderboard among active pitchers in that category – passing Colon who made his big-league debut when Kershaw was finishing up third grade. The oldest – and possibly roundest – man in baseball history to hit his first home run (five days ago in San Diego), the 42-year-old Colon doesn’t just hit adorable home runs. He gives them up too. The Dodgers got to him for four runs in the first inning, topped by a three-run home run from Grandal who made Roberts – or the daily dose of analytics he digests – look prescient. The Dodgers manager opted to start Grandal behind the plate with Kershaw on the mound for only the second time this season. The only other time he did it, Kershaw allowed five runs in an inning and suffered his only loss of the season. But Roberts said he liked the matchup of Grandal at the plate against “a heavy fastball guy.” Like Colon’s chin, Roberts’ scouting report on the corpulent Colon existed on multiple levels and Grandal ate up one of those fastballs for his second home run in as many nights. “I liked the matchup,” Roberts said. “I can’t obviously predict a three-run homer. But I still felt that with three or four at-bats against Colon I thought Yazzie had a chance to do some damage.” Colon is reliably fastball-dependent. While Grandal said he doesn’t consider himself a fastball hitter, he knew enough to expect one when Colon fell behind 2-and-0 in the first inning, having already given up three consecutive hits to start the inning. “Obviously, Colon works off his fastball,” Grandal said. “He also throws a slider and changeup but he really pitches off his fastball – two-seamers, four-seamers. “If you’re going to throw the fastball, I’m going to be ready for it whether it’s 97 or 87 (mph).” An inning later, another Dodger took Colon deep. Chase Utley’s solo home run was the middle of his three hits against his elder. “He got on the heater tonight,” Roberts said. That made it 5-0 and the score stayed there, taunting the Mets as Kershaw mowed them down. He is now 81-0 when given a four-run lead.

Dodgers lineups: It's 'must-win' when Kershaw pitches, Dave Roberts says By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES -- If all goes right, the Dodgers will get 33 starts from Clayton Kershaw this season -- and, according to first-year manager Dave Roberts, they had better make the best of each one. "There's just that, I guess, that heightened urgency that it's a must-win," Roberts said. "I think every player and every coach will say every game is a must-win game. And every game is important. But when you have the best pitcher on the planet pitching for you that day, those are games you have to win." Most players won't admit it but Roberts said he does think playing behind a pitcher of Kershaw's elite status motivates his teammates to be at the top of their game. "Yeah, I think so," Roberts said. "It's obviously team-based. But this guy is a guy who every year has a chance to win the Cy Young Award. So defensively you want to be ready and play every pitch. And offensively you want to get the runs to get Clayton the win. "It's a little unfair for every other pitcher. But I think that's what happens for some of the best in the game -- people really want to play their best. I think in a perfect world, yeah, you want to do that every night." So far this season, the Dodgers have done a good job of maximizing their opportunities with Kershaw on the mound. They have won six of his first seven starts with Kershaw posting a 2.04 ERA and 0.77 WHIP this season. When anyone else starts for the Dodgers, they are 11-16 (with a collective 4.01 ERA and 1.30 WHIP). Kershaw's only loss this season came against the Miami Marlins in the only game that Yasmani Grandal has caught him instead of A.J. Ellis. Grandal is in the lineup again tonight. "With this matchup with Bartolo (Colon), I like Yazzi in there," Roberts said. "And I also feel good obviously with him catching Kersh." Tonight's lineups: METS (21-12) RF Curtis Granderson SS Asdrubal Cabrera 3B David Wright LF Yoenis Cespedes 2B Neil Walker

CF Juan Lagares C Kevin Plawecki 1B Eric Campbell RHP Bartolo Colon (3-1, 2.82 ERA) DODGERS (17-17) 2B Chase Utley SS Corey Seager 3B Justin Turner 1B Adrian Gonzalez C Yasmani Grandal CF Joc Pederson RF Yasiel Puig LF Kike' Hernandez LHP Clayton Kershaw (4-1, 2.04 ERA) Former Texas A&M roommates Ross Stripling, Michael Wacha to square off when Dodgers, Cardinals meet Friday By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES – Ross Stripling said he and his former college teammate started doing the math on the calendar “maybe two starts ago.” “I knew it would be close,” the Dodgers rookie right-hander said about matching up against his friend, St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha. “Then they had that off day and I texted him because we had just pitched on the same day. I asked him, ‘With the off day, are they going to push you back one?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, they are.’ I was ‘Dang, we’re going to miss it.’ Then he texted me, ‘Things might have changed – dot, dot, dot.’ “Then he texted me the next day, ‘I’m pitching Friday.’ I was like, ‘Crazy.’ That just started an onslaught of trash talk. Mostly it’s not even about how we pitch. It’s how we’re going to hit off each other. Then the head coach at (Texas) A&M got involved.”

Wacha and Stripling were Aggies teammates for three years, Wacha arriving one year behind Stripling. Both were drafted in 2012 – Stripling in the fifth round by the Dodgers, Wacha in the first round (19th overall) by the Cardinals. Less than a year later, Wacha was in the majors, cutting short Stripling’s first chance to compete with his one-time roommate. “When we first signed, it was a competition – who’s going to get there first?” Stripling said. “He was a first-rounder then he just shot up and blew everybody away. “To see the success he had was motivation to me. I’m not saying I’m as good or was as good as he was. But I had success in college like he did so it was motivation to say, ‘Hey, you made it to the big league level and had success. I can do it too.’” Stripling’s rise was slowed by Tommy John surgery more than two years ago. But he made his own big splash upon arrival, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning of his major league debut. “It was probably something we talked about in college … like ‘Can you imagine if we get drafted and pitch against each other in the big leagues?’ And now it’s going to happen, which is pretty crazy,” Stripling said. “I think you have to enjoy it. How often do you get to pitch against your college roommate and teammate? “Hopefully there’s more. But you never know.” VAN SLYKE PROGRESS Scott Van Slyke said Thursday that he expects to be taking batting practice “within a week” after noticing improvement in his lower back in recent days. The outfielder/first baseman was cleared earlier this week to hit off a tee and take swings on short-range tosses. “I legitimately felt terrible for a few weeks picking up things, moving around,” Van Slyke said. “It was a struggle the last couple weeks. Then everything settled and I’m building back up.” Van Slyke said he isn’t sure if he will be with the Dodgers on the road in Anaheim or San Diego next week. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has said he doesn’t expect Van Slyke back until some time in mid-June. ALSO Right-hander Mike Bolsinger made his second rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday night. Bolsinger pitched four scoreless innings, allowing three hits, walking three and striking out four. Bolsinger (oblique injury) threw 63 pitches, up from 46 in his first rehab start. … Right-hander Carlos Frias made his season debut with Double-A Tulsa on Thursday night. Frias went three innings and allowed one run on one hit and threw 32 pitches. Frias has been sidelined since the end of spring training with an oblique injury. Staff writer J.P. Hoornstra contributed to this report

On deck: Cardinals at Dodgers, Friday, 7 p.m. By Bill Plunkett Where: Dodger Stadium TV: SNLA (where available) Did you know: The Dodgers lead the all-time series against the St. Louis Cardinals by just one game – 1,018 wins to 1,017 losses with 16 ties. THE PITCHERS DODGERS RHP ROSS STRIPLING (0-2, 3.82 ERA) Vs. Cardinals: Has never faced them before. At Dodger Stadium: 0-2, 5.63 ERA CARDINALS RHP MICHAEL WACHA (2-3, 3.12 ERA) Vs. Dodgers: 1-1, 3.55 ERA At Dodger Stadium: 1-0, 1.29 ERA Hates to face: Justin Turner, 3 for 5 (.600), 1 double Loves to face: Yasiel Puig, 0 for 5, 4 strikeouts UPCOMING MATCHUPS Saturday – Cardinals RHP Carlos Martinez (4-2, 2.61 ERA) at Dodgers LHP Scott Kazmir (2-3, 5.54 ERA), 6:10 p.m. SNLA Sunday – Cardinals RHP Mike Leake (1-3, 5.10 ERA) at Dodgers LHP Alex Wood (1-3, 4.58 ERA), 5 p.m. ESPN

DODGERS.COM

Kershaw mows down Mets with 13-K shutout By Jack Baer and Ken Gurnick

LOS ANGELES -- Record-setter Clayton Kershaw fired a three-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts and rode home runs by Yasmani Grandal and Chase Utley to a 5-0 Dodgers win over the Mets Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, splitting the four-game series. "It was special," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "Just his focus on the day to day, just knowing the bullpen has been used this series and to now take it upon himself to go the distance. I definitely put my fan hat on tonight." While throwing his second shutout of the season and 14th of his career, Kershaw (5-1) reclaimed the league strikeout lead over Max Scherzer (77-66) and issued his first walk since April 21. He has double-digits in strikeouts and no more than one walk in each of the last five starts, setting an MLB record. His five starts with at least 10 strikeouts are also a club record (the MLB record is eight). His ERA is 1.74 and his last three wins followed Dodgers losses. Grandal's three-run blast off losing pitcher Bartolo Colon (3-2) capped a four-run first inning and was his second homer in as many days. Utley, who led off the game with a single, slugged a solo shot in the second inning. Utley had three hits and is 10-for-20 off Colon in his career. "Balls were up, balls were over the plate," Mets manager Terry Collins said of Colon. "Didn't really have that good life that he's normally had. I told [pitching coach Dan Warthen], he's had two tremendous outings in a row. You put him back on regular rest, the first time these guys have done it in a while, and tonight he just wasn't looking real sharp." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Battery change: Roberts said before the game he wanted to start Grandal behind the plate instead of longtime Kershaw catcher A.J. Ellis because he liked the matchup, even though Grandal was 0-for-5 lifetime against Colon. Then Grandal slugged a three-run homer in his first at-bat. "Yazzy's big swing was huge for us," said Roberts. "At-bats he conducts, he's swinging really well, I like the way he receives, I just felt that I liked the matchup. Can't predict a three-run homer, but I thought Yazzy had the chance to do some damage." Preserving the shutout: Until the ninth inning, Kershaw allowed only one Met to reach scoring position when Curtis Granderson doubled with two outs in the top of the sixth inning. But Kershaw caught Asdrubal Cabrera looking for his ninth strikeout to strand Granderson. In the ninth, after Cabrera's two out single and a balk, Kershaw struck out David Wright to end the game. Quick hands from Bartolo: Roberts described Colon, a former teammate, as "a sneaky athlete," among other things, before the game. Colon got a chance to show off that athleticism when he nabbed a comebacker from Yasiel Puig to lead off the fourth inning. The ball left Puig's bat at 98 mph, according to Statcast™. Asdrubal all over the place: The Dodgers' four-run first inning came to an end when Cabrera made the first of a few good defensive plays, laying out to catch a line drive from Puig. The highlights continued in the sixth inning, when a shifted Cabrera laid out to corral a Joc Pederson ground ball. QUOTABLE

"It seemed like as the game went on we started getting a little bit more of a rhythm. He had a lot of quick outs, a lot of strikeouts. It just seemed like he was cruising like he's been doing for a while now." -- Grandal on catching Kershaw for only the second time this season SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Kershaw is 81-0, and the Dodgers are 91-6, when he receives four runs of support in a start. WHAT'S NEXT Mets: Matt Harvey will pitch at Coors Field for the first time in his career as the Mets take on Jon Gray and the Rockies on Friday. First pitch is set for 8:40 p.m. ET. Dodgers: In a duel of Texas A&M Aggies, Ross Stripling starts for the Dodgers in the series opener vs. the Cardinals' Michael Wacha, with a 7:10 p.m. PT first pitch. After six starts, he's still looking for his first Major League victory. Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV. Record-setting Kershaw leaves teammates in awe By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- Kenley Jansen pitches one scoreless inning and he's a hero. Then he watches Clayton Kershaw do nine times that Thursday night, and Jansen is simply in awe. "He's the best by far," Jansen said after Kershaw threw a three-hitter with 13 strikeouts in a 5-0 Dodgers win over the Mets. "Watching him doing that, man, I don't know what to think. I wasn't there when Sandy Koufax was there, but to see him break all these records … he's the best, man, the best on the planet." Kershaw put his name up there above Koufax with his fifth consecutive start of at least 10 strikeouts and no more than one walk, an MLB record. The fifth consecutive start with at least 10 strikeouts is also a franchise record. "Hopefully he can keep it going and instead of five make it 10," said catcher Yasmani Grandal, who homered for the second consecutive game. "He's a beast," manager Dave Roberts said of Kershaw. "He's just completely dominant and I don't think there's enough adjectives to describe what he does to our ballclub. We needed that to split the series. It was a big win for us. Kershaw had a five-run lead by the second inning, three runs on Grandal's first-inning home run, the final run on Chase Utley's solo shot, both off Mets starter Bartolo Colon. In Kershaw's 250th career start,

he ran his incredible record to 81-0 when the Dodgers score at least four runs while he's still in the game. "If we don't have enough incentive to get four runs when he pitches, there you have it," said Roberts. "It's just a credit to him. When you need a shutout and to save your bullpen, he does that. If you give him a lead, he has that way that you know he smells the finish line and smells blood." Kershaw is 5-1 with a 1.74 ERA after his second shutout of the season and 14th of his career. This was his third consecutive win following a Dodgers loss. He's 7-0 in the regular season against the Mets and 119-57 overall in his career. In his last five starts, he has 56 strikeouts and two walks, including one in this game, and talked just as much about not walking batters as he did striking them out. "Walking guys is how you get in trouble," Kershaw said. "I'd rather them string hits and make them swing bats to beat me, that's always my mentality. You want them to [have to] beat you. I attack them, fortunately I feel my mechanics have been pretty solid the whole season and I've been able to repeat pitches consistently." Throwing a better curveball than he has recently, Kershaw said he doesn't do anything differently when pitching with a lead. "It doesn't change anything," he said. "It's nice though, I'll take it. But it doesn't change anything." Bullpen enjoying impressive span of success By Jack Baer LOS ANGELES -- While Noah Syndergaard made sure the Dodgers didn't enjoy victory Wednesday night, the bullpen did deliver another set of scoreless innings to keep the game close. That makes five games in a row the bullpen hasn't allowed a run, a span that includes 15 innings and 21 strikeouts. However, some contributed to Wednesday's performance more than others. Chris Hatcher and Louis Coleman entered the game with multiple men in scoring position and each delivered the needed outs. It was particularly encouraging for Hatcher, who hasn't allowed a run in May, since being demoted from setup duties at the end of April. "[Hatcher], his stuff has been there and, mechanically, he's worked on a few things, but that was a huge spot," manager Dave Roberts said after the game. "Second and third, nobody out, to get out of that unscathed was huge for us, his confidence, his continuing to grow. He's throwing up some clean innings." Coleman later inherited a bases-loaded, two-outs situation in the seventh inning and struck out Eric Campbell looking with a slider, his latest success against right-handers. So far in 2016, Coleman has allowed a .091/.167/.121 line to right-handed batters.

"We've found a nice niche for him," Roberts said. "It's my responsibility to put him in a good situation to have success. Any right-handed hitter in the game, I'll take Louis right now. His slider is as good as anybody's, he's working ahead of hitters, and it's a tough visual." Collectively, the Dodgers' bullpen leads the NL in ERA and strikeout rate in the last week, going into Thursday, and it hasn't been because Kenley Jansen has eaten innings. Top to bottom, every member of the group is coming off a scoreless inning. A.J. Ellis almost took out Charlie Culberson after BP mix-up, but they laughed about it later By Adrian Garro Charlie Culberson lives life on the edge - or, at least he did on Thursday before the series finale between the Dodgers and Mets at Dodger Stadium. While A.J. Ellis was in the batter's box during batting practice, he didn't get the memo that it was time to bunt. Culberson, though, seemed to have received that message, which put him in peril once Ellis swung away as he was positioned mere feet from the home plate area. As seen in Ellis' video posted afterwards, Culberson's reaction is really something. He barely flinches. Maybe Culberson scoffs in the face of danger. Or, maybe he has some hidden Matrix moves in his arsenal that he can use in situations just like this ...

LA TIMES

Clayton Kershaw strikes out 13 in Dodgers' 5-0 win over Mets By Andy McCullough Behind a fence in the left-field corner of Dodger Stadium, the relief corps of the Dodgers lounged on folding chairs with their hands stuffed in their pockets as Thursday's ninth inning began. The relievers had idled all evening, not one member of the group rising to loosen up, as Clayton Kershaw completed his latest masterwork. Kershaw granted them the night off. In a 5-0 victory, one that allowed the Dodgers to split a four-game series with the Mets, Kershaw delivered his second shutout of the season. He gave up only three hits. No Met touched third base. He struck out 13, reaching a double-digit total for the fifth consecutive game. "He's just a beast," Manager Dave Roberts said. "He's just completely dominant. I don't think there's enough adjectives to describe what he does for our ballclub."

The game allowed for a series of smaller victories. Kershaw (5-1, 1.74 earned-run average) demonstrated his compatibility with catcher Yasmani Grandal. He reported improved control of his curveball. And he continued an astounding string of strikeouts — he has now struck out 77 batters this season and walked only four. Grandal keyed the offense with a three-run homer in the first inning. Chase Utley added his third homer of the season. Kershaw required no further assistance. He improved to 81-0 when his teammates provide him four runs of support. It was the 14th shutout of his career and the 23rd complete game of his career. "Tonight I was able to get deep in the game," Kershaw said. "Strikeouts are just kind of a byproduct. It's not that important, in the grand scheme of things." Kershaw allowed himself to feel a sense of accomplishment. He did not allow the Mets anything of the sort. And he provided his usual dose of succor for his team. The Dodgers (18-17) entered the day with a 6-1 record in games started by Kershaw and an 11-16 record otherwise. Before the game, Roberts did not attempt to downplay Kershaw's importance to the club. There was no point in trying. "When you have the best pitcher on the planet pitching for you that day, those are games you have to win," he said. In deference to the fickle nature of the club's offense, the Dodgers fiddled with Kershaw's catching partner. He has great affinity for veteran A.J. Ellis. But Roberts paired him with Grandal for the second time in 2016. In their first outing, Kershaw weathered a five-run barrage from the Miami Marlins in one inning and incurred his only loss this season. But the front office appreciates Grandal's two-way value and his ability to frame pitches for strikes. Grandal ranked second in the majors in runs saved via framing heading into Thursday, according to Baseball Prospectus. "Yaz is great back there," Kershaw said. "And obviously, A.J. and I have been doing it for a long time. I'm good, either way." After three singles off Mets starter Bartolo Colon, the Dodgers led by a run when Grandal batted in the first. Colon is a marvel for those who lack interest in aesthetics. He will turn 43 in two weeks. His portliness masks his gift for manipulating the baseball. But with two runners aboard, Grandal waited for a fastball in the zone. An 87-mph two-seamer arrived on a 2-0 pitch. The resulting blast raced off Grandal's bat and into the bleachers in right. "If you're going to throw a fastball, I'm going to be ready for it," Grandal said. "Whether it's 97 or 87." An inning later, Utley battered a solo shot of his own. Kershaw now had a five-run lead as his cushion. And he lacked interest in losing it. In the third inning, Kershaw faced Colon. Colon delighted his teammates and stupefied the Internet last week when he hit the first home run of his 19-year career by walloping a fastball from Padres starter James Shields.

Kershaw had no interest in operating as Colon's latest patsy. He fired fastballs without worry. Colon behaved as if the rules forbid him from swinging. The Mets could not cause Kershaw stress. His slider continued to torment hitters, but now his curveball joined the fun. He unleashed the pitch in the ninth inning, striking out Lucas Duda, Curtis Granderson and David Wright, all with hooks. Wright hung his head after he fanned on Kershaw's 109th pitch of the game, a curveball in the dirt. At last, the relievers had a reason to move. The group filtered out of the bullpen toward the handshake line, queuing up to congratulate their ace. "That's always the goal: Shake the catcher's hand," Kershaw said. "That's always the goal. It feels good." Amazing Clayton Kershaw has Dodgers and fans singing a different tune By Bill Plaschke It has become the Dodgers greatest hit, Hollywood's hottest record, the soundtrack to living baseball history, and it flowed again Thursday night at scorching cool Chavez Ravine. “Tonight, we are young. So let's set the world on fire. We can burn brighter, than the sun.” The name of the band is Fun. The title of the song is “We Are Young.” Burning brighter than the sun, for his 250th start as a Dodger, was Clayton Kershaw. “His hand was touched by God,” teammate Ross Stripling said. It is a hand that again touched Los Angeles like Kobe Bryant once touched this town, a left hand that again yanked the Dodgers out their misfortunes and made Dodger Stadium sing again. His trademark introduction song played shortly after 7 p.m. here Thursday as Kershaw took the mound against the New York Mets. His trademark first-strikeout-of-a-poor-lunging-soul occurred about two minutes later. His trademark victory was all but sealed by 7:30 after the Dodgers gave him a four-run cushion and he proceeded to beat the Mets about the head and shoulders with it, giving up three hits and striking out 13 in a 5-0 victory. “You think he's done it all, then he comes out and amazes you again,” catcher Yasmani Grandal said. He entered the game amazingly in a bit of a shadow, with other National League pitchers hogging the headlines.

Jake Arrieta is unbeatable in Chicago. Max Scherzer is striking out 20 in Washington. Stephen Strasburg is signing for $175 million with the Nationals. Kershaw was sixth in the league ERA. He was tied for fourth in wins. He was even second in strikeouts. Kershaw was seemingly in the background, and then he wasn't, requiring barely two hours to storm back into the spotlight, where he belongs, where he has seemingly always been. “Every pitch he throws, it's like he's angry,” Stripling said. “Every pitch has such conviction and purpose.” In doing so, he racked up numbers filled with that same conviction and purpose. It was a win after a Dodgers loss — in Kershaw's nine-year career here he has won an amazing 69% of his decisions after a loss, going 56-25 with a 2.29 ERA. Has any pitcher been more of an ace during that time? Anyone? Anywhere? “It's always good that you never want to get on a streak,” he said afterward, his scraggly beard dripping from fighting through 109 pitches, his left arm red from bags of ice. “Any time you can get a win and get a series split against a good team like that, it goes a long way. ... Hopefully it kind of carries over.” He had 13 strikeouts and just one first-inning walk, giving him 47 strikeouts and one walk in his last four starts, and a stunning 77 strikeouts and just four walks for the season. “Walking guys is how you get in trouble,” Kershaw said. “I make them swing the bats to beat me. I'm going to hopefully attack them.” Oh, how he attacked, from a strikeout of the game's leadoff hitter, Curtis Granderson, to a strikeout of the game's last hitter, Eric Campbell. He grunted and groaned and grimaced and snarled and spun the Mets hitters into a staggering mess. His 100th pitch was a thrashing strikeout by Lucas Duda that was so confusing, Duda looked at home plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth for help. His 104th pitch was a curveball that froze Granderson into a frustrated shake of the head. His final pitch fooled Campbell into a weak swing and a quick stare at the scoreboard — yeah, he had just been punched out by a 73-mph curveball. With fans in the half-empty stands screaming and stomping, Kershaw sheepishly smiled and shook the hand of Grandal. “That's the goal,” Kershaw said. “Shake the catcher's hand.” He has now set a Dodgers record with double-digit strikeouts in five consecutive starts. More impressive, perhaps, is that dating back to last year, the Dodgers have won 14 of the last 16 games he has pitched. Two seasons ago, they had a streak of 20-1 in those games.

Of course, they are 4-9 with Kershaw on the mound in the postseason, but that is a burden he will bear in October. For now, he is once again brilliant in carrying them there. “It was special,” Manager Dave Roberts said. “I definitely put my fan hat on tonight.” It was so special, even when things were weird, they were good. The analytical Dodgers decided to replace Kershaw's personal catcher A.J. Ellis with Grandal even though Kershaw had a 1.43 ERA with Ellis in six starts this year while he had a 5.62 ERA in two starts with Grandal. The reason was clearly offense: “This matchup with Bartolo [Colon], I like Yasi up there,” Roberts said. The reasoning was potentially offensive: Why on earth would the Dodgers ever mess with anything that would make their ace happy? But it turns out, the reasoning was perfect, as Grandal drove a 2-and-0 pitch into the empty upper level of the right-center field pavilion in the first inning for a three-run homer to give the Dodgers that 4-0 lead and essentially end the game. It was officially over nine innings later when the Dodger Stadium speakers blared Clayton Kershaw's other trademark song “I Love L.A.” Former college teammates Ross Stripling and Michael Wacha will face off Friday By Andy McCullough The trash talk started about a week ago, when Ross Stripling learned he would face Michael Wacha, his former teammate and roommate at Texas A&M, when the St. Louis Cardinals come to Dodger Stadium on Friday night. "Mostly, it's not even about how we pitch," Stripling said before Thursday's series finale against the New York Mets. "It's about how we hit off each other." The pair settled on a bet: Stripling expected to dine with Wacha after the game. The loser would pay the tab. Stripling was a sophomore when Wacha enrolled at College Station. They lived across the hall from each other three years. Both were drafted in 2012 — Wacha in the first round, Stripling in the fifth. They lived together during the winter after their first professional seasons, before both settled in Houston. "It's funny, because when we first signed, it was a competition, like 'Who is going to get there first?'" Stripling said.

Wacha ended the competition in swift fashion. He debuted in May 2013 and won the most-valuable-player award from the National League Championship Series. Stripling took a more circuitous route. He tore his ulnar collateral ligament in 2014 and underwent Tommy John surgery. He pitched his way back into prominence this spring, and earned a spot in the Dodgers rotation after injuries to Brett Anderson and Mike Bolsinger. Stripling entered Friday on an upbeat note. In his last start, he held the Toronto Blue Jays to one run over six innings, bouncing back after failing to complete the sixth in his previous three outings. And now he'll get a chance to duel his close friend. "You've got to enjoy it," Stripling said. "How often do you get to pitch against your college roommate and teammate? I'll definitely watch him, and be cheering for our guys." Fien off 40-man roster The Dodgers removed reliever Casey Fien from the 40-man roster and out-righted him to triple-A Oklahoma City. Fien cleared waivers, just five days after the Dodgers claimed him off waivers from Minnesota.

DODGER INSIDER

The Superlative Store called, and it’s running out of Kershaw By Jon Weisman The walk to David Wright in the first inning mattered not at all, except that it just brought the slightest bit of humility to the superhuman Clayton Kershaw. The very slightest. In his 250th career start, the magnificent Dodger left-hander set a Major League record by striking out at least 10 and walking no more than one batter, pitching his second consecutive Dodger Stadium three-hit shutout in a 5-0 victory over the Mets. Kershaw also set an all-time Dodger record with his fifth straight game of double-digit strikeouts. In striking out 13 and walking one, his 2016 K/BB ratio actually dropped from 21.3 to 19.3, still far ahead of the existing MLB record for starting pitchers of 11.6 by Phil Hughes of the Yankees in 2014. In his past 18 innings at Dodger Stadium, Kershaw has allowed no runs on six hits with one walk and 27 strikeouts. He has 76 whiffs in 62 innings this year, with four walks and a 1.74 ERA.

“As long as you keep your pitch count down, it doesn’t matter how you’re getting outs, as long as you’re getting weak contact with outs,” Kershaw said. “I was able to get deep into the game. Strikeouts are kind of a by-product — it’s not that important in the grand scheme of things, for sure.” On his 109th pitch of the game, Kershaw fanned Wright — meaning he had struck out the side in the ninth. Wright’s walk with two out in the first inning ended a streak of 35 strikeouts by Kershaw since his last base on balls. But he got back on the beam with a whiff of Yoenis Cespedes, and the Dodgers followed with an explosion against Bartolo Colon. Colon pitched a seven-hit shutout in Dave Roberts’ third career game. As a player. In 1999. But it would be a different fate tonight. The first three batters — Chase Utley, Corey Seager and Justin Turner — all singled, giving the Dodgers a run on five pitches by the 43-year-old Colon. One out later, Yasmani Grandal, whom Dave Roberts started because he liked the matchup against Colon, blasted a 449-foot homer, putting the Dodgers ahead, 4-0. Utley (3 for 4) homered in the second inning to help the Dodgers quickly match their second-highest offensive output at Dodger Stadium this season. Kershaw previously benefited from the Dodgers’ biggest offensive eruption of the season on the road (their 15-0 Opening Day victory at San Diego) and at home (a 7-3 win April 15 over San Francisco). Kershaw pitched his 14th career shutout, making him the active leader in the big leagues — breaking a tie with Colon, who is nearly 15 years older. As Eric Stephen pointed out earlier today on True Blue L.A., Sandy Koufax had 119 wins in his first 250 career starts. With tonight’s victory, Clayton Kershaw has 119 wins in his first 250 career starts. Kershaw CCL has arrived By Jon Weisman It’s probably the least popular and least productive thing I’ve ever done with my life, though I wish it were the most humiliating. But ever since Clayton Kershaw made his Major League debut, on May 25, 2008, I’ve pictured every subsequent start as if it were a sequel in a blockbuster movie series. You just had that feeling about Kershaw, from the very beginning, that he was going to be epic. The first sequel was Kershaw II: The Kershawing. And it went on from there. Mostly downhill. Tonight, Kershaw reaches career start No. 250. To commemorate the event — and with deepest apologies — here’s the list of all the titles I’ve created.

So many of them are just awful, truly awful. Some, I really don’t know what I was thinking — even by my lowly standards. Some were repeats, with me having forgotten I had used a title already — sometimes within the same month. But, what’s done is done, and what’s here is here. At least I haven’t cursed him. And I am happy with the quote I used to introduce him before his first big-league game. Kershaw CCL: Kershawrter Country Kershaw CCXLIX: Kershaw-ish Kershaw CCXLVIII: Kershawt. Elsewhere Kershaw CCXLVII: Kershawg Day Afternoon Kershaw CCXLVI: Kershawll We Dance? Kershaw CCXLV: Kershawter Call Saul Kershaw XXXLIV: Kershawrace and Pete Kershaw CCXLIII: Kershawtlight Kershaw CCXLII: The Kershawrtian Kershaw CCXLI: Kershawverest Kershaw CCXL: Kershawlliver’s Travels Kershaw CCXXXIX: Kershawlk the Line Kershaw CCXXXVIII: Kershawse Party Kershaw CCXXXVII: Kershawcean’s 11 Kershaw CCXXXVI: Kershawk in the Woods Kershaw CCXXXV: Kershawgmalion Kershaw CCXXXIV: Kershaw Little Romance Kershaw CCXXXIII: Kershaw Me a Hero Kershaw CCXXXII: Kershawtizen Kane Kershaw CCXXXI: Kershawma’s Family Kershaw CCXXX: Kershawdler on the Roof Kershaw CCXXIX: Kershawnt-Man Kershaw CCXXVIII: Kershawt Hot American Summer Kershaw CCXXVII: Kershawne on One Kershaw CCXXVI: Kershawming to America Kershaw CCXXV: Kershawneymoon in Vegas Kershaw CCXXIV: Kershawmer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Kershaw CCXXIII: Kershawlicon Valley Kershaw CCXXII: Kershawrspray Kershaw CCXXI: Kershawnational Velvet Kershaw CCXX: Kershawsablanca Kershaw CCXIX: (unreleased) Kershaw CCXVIII: The Kershow with David Letterman Kershaw CCXVII: The Kershawx-Bow Incident Kershaw CCXVI: Kershawppy Mother’s Day! Kershaw CCXV: Kershawzing Saddles Kershaw CCXIV: Kershawl Blart: Mall Cop 2 Kershaw CCXIII: Kershaw vs. the Volcano Kershaw CCXII: Kershawrk Tank Kershaw CCXI: Kershawlicon Valley

Kershaw CCX: (unreleased) Kershaw CCIX: Kershawll Street Blues Kershaw CCVIII: Kershawsm Buddies Kershaw CCVII: Kershawrney Miller Kershaw CCVI: Kershawffice Space Kershaw CCV: Kershawstbusters Kershaw CIV: Kershawzing Arizona Kershaw CCIII: Kershawsablanca Kershaw CCII: Kershawrk Passage Kershaw CCI: The Kershawering Inferno Kershaw CC: Kershawt Tub Time Machine Kershaw CXCIX: Kershawr Town Kershaw CXCVIII: The Kershawcial Network Kershaw CXCVII: Kershawckford Files Kershaw CXCVI: Kershawll About Eve Kershaw CXCV: Kershawppalachian Spring Kershaw CXCIV: Kershawl Miner’s Daughter Kershaw CXCIII: Kershawmnibus Kershaw CXCII: Kershawctify Kershaw CXCI: Kershaw Kings Go Kershaw CXC: Kershawll the Right Moves Kershaw CLXXXIX: Kershawnnie Get Your Gun Kershaw CLXXXVIII: Kershawvity Kershaw CLXXXVII: Kershawue Detective Kershaw CLXXXVI: Kershawlexander Kershaw CLXXXV: Kershawnger Games: Catching Fire Kershaw CLXXXIV: Kershawphan Black Kershaw CLXXXIII: Kershawstralia Kershaw CLXXXII: Kershawvity Falls Kershaw CLXXXI: Kershawvity Kershaw CLXXX: Kershawn Jon Kershaw CLXXIX: Kershawma Mia Kershaw CLXXVIII: Kershawns of Navarone Kershaw CLXXVI: Kershawrks and Recreation Kershaw CLXXV: Kershawll in the Family Kershaw CLXXIV: Kershowse Encounters of the Third Kind Kershaw CLXXIII: Kershawd Couple Kershaw CLXXII: Kershawky Mountain High Kershaw CLXXI: Kershawrd Day’s Night Kershaw CLXX: Kershawperation Petticoat Kershaw CLXIX: Kershawrknado Kershaw CLXVIII: Kershawn Her Majesty’s Secret Service Kershaw CLXVII: Kershawnder the Dome Kershaw CLXVI: Kershawmp and Circumstance Kershaw CLXV: Kershawnderama Kershaw CLXIV: (unreleased) Kershaw CLXIII: (unreleased) Kershaw CLXII: Kershawrdergarten Cop

Kershaw CLXI: Kershawjak Kershaw CLX: Kershawneas and Ferb Kershaw CLIX: Kershawr Wars Kershaw CLVIII: Kershawo, Pioneers Kershaw CLVII: Kershawt in the Hat Kershaw CLVI: Kershawro Dark Thirty Kershaw CLV: Kershawp with People Kershaw CLIV: Kershawnce Upon a Time in America Kershaw CLIII: Kershawrgo Kershaw CLII: Kershawvanhoe Kershaw CLI: Kershawrgo Kershaw CL: Kershawn the Waterfront Kershaw CXLIX: (unreleased) Kershaw CXLVIII: (unreleased) Kershaw CXLVII: (unreleased) Kershaw CXLVI: Kershaw Among the Ruins Kershaw CXLV: Kershawncle Bill the Sailor Kershaw CXLIV: Kershawchtung Baby Kershaw CXLIII: Kershawrvest Time Kershaw CXLII: Kershawleanna Kershaw CXLI: Kershaw Vie en Rose Kershaw CXL: Kershawn Her Majesty’s Secret Service Kershaw CXXXIX: Kershawtime at the Apollo Kershaw CXXXVIII: Kershamen Corner Kershaw CXXXVII: Kershuwnger Games Kershaw CXXXVI: Kershawmdog Millionaire Kershaw CXXXV: Kershawma Lama Ding Dong Kershaw CXXXIV: Kershawn Golden Pond Kershaw CXXXIII: Kershawctupus’ Garden Kershaw CXXXII: Kershawn the Waterfront Kershaw CXXXI: KershaR2D2 Kershaw CXXX: Kershawtter Pops Kershaw CXXIX: Kershawl of Me Kershaw CXXVIII: Kershmokey and the Bandit Kershaw CXXVII: (unreleased) Kershaw CXXVI: Kershaw I Met Your Mother Kershaw CXXV: Kershnakes on a Plane Kershaw CXXIV: Kershawpolitan Kershaw CXXIII: Kershmeatballs Kershaw CXXII: Kershawut of Africa Kershaw CXXI: KershawSI Kershaw CXX: Kershawrvin Gardens Kershaw CXIX: Kershawstakovich Kershaw CXVIII: Kershawmazing Grace Kershaw CXVII: Kerhsawrfegnugen Kershaw CXVI: Kershawpalong Cassidy Kershaw CXV: Kershawp on Pop Kershaw CXIV: Kershowpe Floats

Kershaw CXIII: Kershawpollo 13 Kershaw CXII: Kershawmedeus Kershaw CXI: Kershawld Man River Kershaw CX: Kershomon Kershaw CIX: Kershawl in the Family Kershaw CVIII: Kershawp in the Air Kershaw CVII: (unreleased) Kershaw CVI: Kersharrrrgh! Kershaw CV: Kershawmedeus Kershaw CIV: Kershawrks and Recreation Kershaw CIII: Kersharmageddon and the Deathly Hollows Kershaw CII: Kershawneyball Kershaw CI: Kershaweois Gentilhomme Kershaw C: Kersh of the Titans Kershaw XCIX: Kershawl the President’s Men Kershaw XCVIII: Kershawl That Heaven Will Allow Kershaw XCVII: Kershawpular Mechanics Kershaw XCVI: Kershawft Kershaw XCV: Kershawnal Best Kershaw XCIV: Kershawlotte’s Web Kershaw XCIII: Kershawl We Are Saying, Is Give Peace a Chance Kershaw XCII: Kersh-sh-sh-sh-sh Changes Kershaw XCI: Kershawppy Mother’s Day Kershaw XC: (unreleased) Kershaw LXXXIX: Kershawlistic Medicine Kershaw LXXXVIII: Kershawtel California Kershaw LXXXVII: Kershawrlan County, U.S.A. Kershaw LXXXVI: Kershawlandaise Sauce Kershaw LXXXV: Kershawberry Muffin Kershaw LXXXIV: Kershopening Day Game Chat Kershaw LXXXIII: Kershawteau Marmont Kershaw LXXXII: Kershawpscotch Kershaw LXXXI: Kershawctupus Kershaw LXXX: Kershawt wheels Kershaw LXXIX: Kershawquaman Kershaw LXXVIII: (unreleased) Kershaw LXXVII: Kershaw, Snap! Kershaw LXXVI: Kershawnna Karenina Kershaw LXXV: Kershawne on you crazy diamond Kershaw LXXIV: Kershasta McNasty Kershaw LXXIII: Kershawl of Me Kershaw LXXII: Kershawmpty Dumpty Kershaw LXXI: Kershawt and a beer Kershaw LXX: Kershawt Tub Time Machine Kershaw LXIX: Kershallow Grave Kershaw LXVIII: Kershawk jock Kershaw LXVII: O Kershaw, Curtain, Lights Kershaw LXVI: Kershawpoly

Kershaw LXV: Kershawnee, Indiana Kershaw LXIV: Kershaw Knight Pulliam Kershaw LXIII: Kershawt My Dad Says Kershaw LXII: Kershawrmor All Kershaw LXI: Kershawrms and the Man Kershaw LX: Kershawlsbury Hill Kershaw LIX: Kershaws Clay Kershaw LVIII: Kershawmmie dearest Kershaw LVII: Kershawww, freak out! Kershaw LVI: (unreleased) Kershaw LV: Kershawk-infested waters Kershaw LIV: Kershaw the Frog Kershaw LIII: Kershawme Opener Kershaw LII: There’s No Business Like Kershaw Business Kershaw LI: (unreleased) Kershaw L: Kershawlk to the animals Kershaw XLIX: Kershaws Kershaw XLVIII: Kershome run derby Kershaw XLVII: Kershawpple Dumpling Gang Kershaw XLVI: Kershawlly olly oxen free Kershaw XLV: Kershawlly Lolly Lolly get your adverbs here Kershaw XLIV: Kershawvinist pigs! Kershaw XLIII: Kershawk Full o’ Nuts Kershaw XLII: (unreleased) Kershaw XLI: Kershawk treatment Kershaw XL: Drive Kershow, Putt for Dough Kershaw XXXIX: Kershow Gabba Gabba Kershaw XXXVIII: Kershawrky’s Machine Kershaw XXXVII: Kershawt Through the Heart Kershaw XXXVI: Kershawp ’Til You Drop Kershaw XXXV: Kershawppy Father’s Night Kershaw XXXIV: Kershalways Be Closing Kershaw XXXIII: Kershawt Heard ‘Round the World Kershaw XXXII: Kershawva Nagila Kershaw XXXI: Kershawt People Got No Reason Kershaw XXX: Kershawffice Space Kershaw XXIX: Kershawrk Attack Kershaw XXVIII: Kershampoo Kershaw XXVII: Kershantilly Lace Kershaw XXVI: Kershey’s Kisses Kershaw XXV: Kershawt in the Dark Kershaw XXIV: Kershawffle off to Buffalo Kershaw XXIII: Kersham-Wow Kershaw XXII: (unreleased) Kershaw XXI: Kershama Lama Ding Dong Kershaw XX: Kershane, Come Back Kershane Kershaw XIX: Kershawrp Dressed Man Kershaw XVIII: Kershawnterbury Tales

Kershaw XVII: Kershawt in the Dark Kershaw XVI: Kershawnce To Dream Kershaw XV: Kershawn of the Dead Kershaw XIV: Kershawl We Dance? Kershaw XIII: Kershawp Around the Corner Kershaw XII: Kerdyshawck Kershaw XI: Manny I Kershaw X: Kershaq Fu Kershaw IX: Kershawk the Monkey Kershaw VIII: Kershaw Me the Money Kershaw VII: Kershaw Na Na Na, Sha Na Na Na Na Na Kershaw VI: Kershaw’s, Foiled Again? Kershaw V: (unreleased) Kershaw IV: Kershawshank Redemption Kershaw III: Kershawker Kershaw II: The Kershawing Kershaw LADF 50/50 Raffle debuts tonight at Dodger Stadium By Erin Edwards Dodger fans now have the chance to win big by participating in the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation’s inaugural 50/50 Raffle. This charitable in-game raffle will be launched at Dodger Stadium tonight, continuing here all season, and the proceeds will benefit LADF’s programs and giving to local youth organizations. During every Dodger home game, tickets will be sold by staff in gold shirts throughout Dodger Stadium. The winning raffle number will be selected during the seventh inning to determine the 50/50 Raffle jackpot winner. The winning raffle number will be displayed in stadium during the eighth inning. For each and every raffle, half of the 50/50 Raffle jackpot will go to the selected winner, and the other half will go to LADF for its programs and to support youth organizations across Los Angeles. Raffle tickets will be sold for cash only at three price points: three for $5, 10 for $10 and 40 for $20. Fans can visit kiosks in the Left Field Plaza, Loge Level (behind sections 103/105) and Reserve Level (section 10). Sellers will also be roving throughout the concourse and Top Deck, Reserve, Club, Loge, Field and Pavilion seating areas. “The 50/50 Raffle provides a consistent way for our fans to contribute to our foundation, while also having a chance to win some money,” said LADF executive director Nichol Whiteman. “We are thrilled to add to the Dodgers’ existing top-notch, in-game presentation to further raise awareness of our work with such a captive audience.

“The raffle will provide increased support for our cornerstone programs, increase our grants to community organizations and provide some in-stadium fun for sure. We will continue to showcase where all the money goes and how it benefits the various organizations and youth we serve directly.” Funds raised by the LADF benefit a variety of worthwhile programs, including the Dodgers RBI (Reviving Baseball In Inner Cities) program that enables more than 6,000 youth to “play ball,” vision screenings and eyeglasses for children at local schools, and funding for after-school programs promoting literacy for at-risk students. Come on out to support the Dodgers and buy a 50/50 ticket so LADF can expand its good works. The winning ticket will be posted on the LADF Twitter account (@Dodgersfdn) at the end of each game. For more information, please visit dodgers.com/5050raffle.

TRUEBLUELA.COM

Mike Bolsinger makes second solid rehab appearance By Craig Minami Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Great Lakes continue their winning ways, Rancho Cucamonga loses their series finale. Player of the day Mike Bolsinger started for Oklahoma City and pitched four scoreless innings on Thursday. Bolsinger allowed three hits, three walks and struck out four. Triple-A Oklahoma City The Dodgers beat the Express (Rangers) and a rehabbing Yu Darvish 5-4 on Thursday. Mike Bolsinger was the most effective of the five Dodger pitchers as he kept the Express off the scoreboard. Corey Brown and James Ramsey each hit home runs, Ramsey was a two-run shot. Chin-hui Tsao recorded his fifth save. Double-A Tulsa The Drillers scored seven runs on 13 hits and beat the Travelers (Angels) 7-2. Five players had two hits, Paul Hoenecke hit his fourth home run of the season. Carlos Frias started and gave up a run in three innings. Logan Bawcom got the win on the back of his three inning relief appearance. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga

The JetHawks (Astros) avoided a sweep and took the third game of their series against the Quakes by a 7-3 score. Josh Sborz struck out six in 5⅔ innings but also gave up four runs. Sborz gave up a home run in his third straight start. Alex Guerrero was 2-for-3 with a walk. Matt Beaty had three hits and Kyle Garlick also had two hits. Class-A Great Lakes The Loons and Nolan Long beat the Dragons (Reds) 5-2. Long gave up just one hit in his six inning start, a nice bounce back from his last start where he gave up six runs and did not get out of the second inning. The Loons had 11 hits, Ariel Sandoval hit his third home run of the year, Omar Estevez was 3-for-4 with two doubles. Matt Jones and Brendon Davis each had two hits. Transactions Triple-A: Placed infielder Elian Herrera on the temporarily inactive list; Los Angeles sent Casey Fein outright to Oklahoma City; Los Angeles Dodgers sent Casey Fien outright to Oklahoma City Dodgers; infielder Drew Maggi assigned from Tulsa to Oklahoma City. Double-A: Right-handed pitcher Carlos Frias assigned to Tulsa Drillers from Oklahoma City Dodgers; infielder Jordan Tarsovich assigned to Tulsa from Rancho Cucamonga. High Class-A: Right-handed pitcher Felipe Gonzalez assigned to Rancho Cucamonga; placed right-handed pitchers Tommy Bergjans and Kyle Hooper on the 7-day disabled list; activated right-handed pitcher Bubby Rossman from the 7-day disabled list; shortstop Nick Dean assigned to Rancho Cucamonga from Great Lakes. Class-A: Great Lakes placed right-handed pitcher Marcus Crescentini on the 7-day disabled list; infielder Jimy Perez assigned to Great Lakes Loons from Dodgers Extended Spring Training; placed left-handed pitcher Michael Boyle on the 7-day disabled list; activated right-handed pitcher Gavin Pittore from the 7-day disabled list; activated right-handed pitcher Chris Powell from the 7-day disabled list. Thursday Scores Oklahoma City 5, Round Rock 4 Tulsa 7, Arkansas 2 Lancaster 7, Rancho Cucamonga 3 Great Lakes 5, Dayton 2 Friday Schedule 4:05 p.m. - Great Lakes (Isaac Anderson) at Dayton (Tanner Rainey)

5:05 p.m. - Arkansas (Blayne Weller) at Tulsa (Trevor Oaks) 5:05 p.m. - Oklahoma City (Sam LeCure) at Round Rock (Chi Chi Gonzalez) 7:05 p.m. - Rancho Cucamonga (Andrew Sopko) at Inland Empire (Angels) (Jason Hoppe) Clayton Kershaw strikes out a baker's dozen while shutting out Mets By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw continued his dominance, allowing just three hits, setting another Dodgers record in the process. The offense showed its support as well, earning a split with the Mets with a 5-0 victory on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw struck out 13 and walked one for his second shutout of the season. In doing so he became the first Dodger ever with five consecutive starts of 10 or more strikeouts. His strikeout-to-walk ratio actually went down with this game, from 21.33 to 19.25. Before the game, manager Dave Roberts described the mood of the team when Kershaw's name comes up on the schedule. "There is such a quiet, centered focus when he steps into the clubhouse on his start day," Roberts said. "Every player and coach will say that every game is a must-win game and every game is important, but when you have the best pitcher on the planet pitching for you that day, those are games you have to win." Kershaw was cruising, and needed just 109 pitches to finish off New York, improving to 7-0 with a 1.17 ERA in 10 career regular season starts against the Mets. The only Mets to reach base were David Wright with a walk in the first inning, Asdrubal Cabrera with a single in the fourth, Curtis Granderson with a double in the sixth, and Cabrera with a single in the ninth. Kershaw has lasted at least seven innings in each of his eight starts this year, lowering his ERA to 1.74. He leads the majors in both innings (62) and strikeouts (77). Hot start Bartolo Colon is always around the strike zone, entering play on Thursday having thrown strikes in a National League-best 70.4 percent of his pitches. To open the first inning, both Chase Utley and Corey Seager capitalized on this fact with a pair of first-pitch singles. Justin Turner followed with a single of his own, albeit on four pitches, to score a run, then two outs later Yasmani Grandal crushed a ball 449 feet to right center field for a three-run home run and a quick 4-0 advantage.

The four runs in the first inning represented more runs than the Dodgers had scored in any of their previous 12 home games. Resurgent Chase Utley wasn't done with his first inning single. He added a solo home run in the second inning, then another single in the fifth. He is hitting .296/.392/.454 on the season. Game info Home runs: Yasmani Grandal (3), Chase Utley (2) WP - Clayton Kershaw (5-1): 9 IP, 3 hits, 1 walk, 13 strikeouts LP - Bartolo Colon (3-2): 5 IP, 7 hits, 5 runs, 3 strikeouts Pablo Fernandez out for the season after Tommy John surgery By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers right-hander Pablo Fernandez underwent Tommy John surgery on Thursday in Arizona, and will be out for the rest of the 2016 season. The usual recovery time for the elbow ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction procedure ranges from between 12-18 months. "Obviously, Pablo's injury and subsequent surgery is disappointing for him and our entire organization, but the procedure was a success," said Dodgers director of player development Gabe Kapler. "We look forward to supporting him through the rehab process, and we're confident Pablo will recover fully. He remains part of our future." Fernandez, now 26, was signed by the Dodgers out of Cuba on May 19, 2015 to a minor league deal with an $8 million bonus. After pitching most of his seven seasons in the Cuban Serie Nacional in relief, Fernandez was stretched into a starting role with the Dodgers. "He has a five-pitch mix. He has a really good feel for pitching, and has shown really good command throughout his career," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said at the time of the signing. "He's got the 'El Duque' Orlando Hernandez delivery, which a lot of Cuban pitchers seem to have. He idolizes him and wants to pitch like him, which wouldn't be a bad outcome." He had a 3.92 in 10 starts across three minor league levels in 2015, including the last four starts with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, with a total of 41 strikeouts and seven walks in 43⅔ innings. But he missed the last two weeks of the season, placed on the disabled list with elbow tightness. Fernandez began the 2016 season on the disabled list on the Quakes roster.

Dodgers sent Casey Fien outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- Newly acquired relief pitcher Casey Fien cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, removing him from the 40-man roster. The move allows the club to keep Fien as bullpen depth, while also preserving space on the 40-man roster, which now has 39 players, not counting those on the 60-day disabled list. The club is still responsible for the roughly $1.8 remaining on his $2.275 million salary for 2016. Fien allowed a run on three hits in one inning in his Oklahoma City debut on Wednesday, but also struck out three. Starting Lineups Mets Dodgers RF Granderson (L) 2B Utley (L) SS Cabrera (S) SS Seager (L) 3B Wright 3B Turner LF Cespedes 1B Gonzalez (L) 2B Walker (S) C Grandal (S) CF Lagares CF Pederson (L) C Plawecki RF Puig 1B Campbell LF Hernandez P Colon P Kershaw (L) Location: Dodger Stadium Time: 7:10 p.m. PT TV: SportsNet LA Radio: AM 570 Back in Los Angeles, the Dodgers have Justin Turner back at third base on Thursday night against the Mets, after getting a night off on Wednesday. The left field roulette wheel lands on Kike Hernandez, making his team-leading 12th start in left field this season, against Mets starter Bartolo Colon. Carl Crawford, who sits on Thursday, is 6-for-36 (.167) with two doubles, a walk and nine strikeouts in his career against Colon. Another potential left field option, Howie Kendrick, is just 3-for-25 (.120) against Colon. Adrian Gonzalez is 12-for-25 (.480) with three home runs and two doubles against Colon, while Chase Utley is 7-for-17 (.412) with two doubles against him.

Clayton Kershaw and Sandy Koufax at 250 starts By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers turn to Clayton Kershaw to try to gain a split in their series against the Mets on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, a start that will be the 250th of Kershaw's career. Here is what Sandy Koufax did through his 250th start, which came on June 29, 1965: 119-71, 2.96 ERA, 1,692 innings, 159 home runs, 622 walks, 1,746 strikeouts Kershaw through 249 starts compares quite well: 118-57, 2.42 ERA, 1,661 innings, 100 home runs, 467 walks, 1,806 strikeouts I think I most amazed that the innings are so close, especially since to this point in their respective careers Koufax had 95 complete games compared to 22 for Kershaw. While those 22 complete games for Kershaw are low relative to Koufax, they are tied third-most in MLB since the start of 2008, behind only a couple of retired ex-Phillies. Maybe Kershaw can pitch 31 innings in the series finale. Kershaw and his 64-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio take the mound on Thursday night, facing off with Bartolo Colon and his 33-4 ratio. They rank first and second respectively in the majors in strikeout-to-walk ratio. Game info Time: 7:10 p.m. PT TV: SportNet LA

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Clayton Kershaw continues to do legendary stuff for Dodgers By Doug Padilla LOS ANGELES -- So when is it no longer blasphemy to say that Clayton Kershaw is not only the best Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher since Sandy Koufax but is actually better? Maybe when Kershaw fires four no-hitters and a perfect game, it would be apt. Perhaps when he wins a World Series, it would be more accepted. But watch Kershaw dominate modern-day lineups and it seems possible to make a legitimate comparison.

The team’s current left-handed ace was at it again Thursday, completely dominating the New York Mets in a 5-0 victory. It was Kershaw’s second consecutive complete-game shutout at home, and the 14th of his career. He allowed just three hits, the first in the fourth inning, and the last with two out in the ninth. And with 96 pitches through eight innings Thursday, manager Dave Roberts never really considered letting anybody else finish the game. “I just felt that where he was at with his pitch count and the way the ball was coming out of his hand [he would pitch the ninth],” Roberts said. “You can see his demeanor. For me, I kind of look at the way he is on the mound, the way the ball is coming out, and it just made sense that I would leave him in there.” Roberts’ decision allowed Kershaw to accomplish the goal he sets out for himself every fifth game. “Shake the catcher’s hand -- that’s always the goal,” Kershaw said of the act immediately following the conclusion of a complete game. “It feels good, for sure. You can’t really do any more than pitch nine innings, so that’s your goal every time out and when you do it. That’s a good feeling, for sure.” Kershaw is now 5-1 on the season with a 1.74 ERA. His 13 strikeouts against the Mets gave him a baseball-best 77. And after his 250th career start, the nine-year veteran has a 2.40 ERA over 1,673 innings. His only blemish this season is a five-run inning to the Miami Marlins last month in his only loss. Take out that one frame, when Yasmani Grandal was behind the plate, and Kershaw has a 1.03 ERA. The Kershaw-Grandal pairing found a bit of redemption Thursday with the shutout. It was just the second time they have been paired together this season. The Kershaw-A.J. Ellis bond has been well documented, but as Ellis said earlier this year, a sportswriter could probably sit behind the plate for a Kershaw start and it would still be an effective one. “It’s different catchers, obviously, but we go over our game plan before the game,” Kershaw said. “Yas is great back there, and obviously A.J. and I have been doing it for a long time. It’s good either way.” “Good” is an understatement. Even the opponent had nothing but praise for Kershaw after he reached double digits in strikeouts for a Dodgers-record fifth consecutive game. Koufax did that in only four straight, if on five separate occasions. “He threw some sliders that you’re just not going to hit them,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “They’re coming in middle of the zone and then disappearing. He was on his game tonight. For sure, you can’t let him have a lead like he had.” That lead was a four-run first inning from the Dodgers against Mets starter Bartolo Colon. And if there was any doubt that Grandal was the right pairing for Kershaw, it was removed when Grandal smashed a three-run home run in that frame. By the time Chase Utley hit a home run in the second inning, Kershaw had more than enough run support. In another ridiculous stat showing just how good Kershaw has been over his career, when the Dodgers score four runs for him while he is still on the mound, the team is 81-0.

Want another impressive stat? To go with his 77 strikeouts, Kershaw has allowed only four walks. Teams know he is going to be near the plate, yet his breaking pitches, and the ability to change speeds from a high 90-mph fastball to a mid-70s curve, are too befuddling. Kershaw has always had a strong strikeout-to-walk ratio, but he never has delivered something like this. Over his past four starts he has 47 strikeouts and just one free pass, in the first inning to David Wright. Kershaw eventually struck out Wright to end the game. Is it better command or better smarts? “I’m definitely not being smarter,” Kershaw said. “I don’t know how to explain it other than walking guys is how you get in trouble. For me, I’d rather have them string hits together and make them swing the bats to beat me. That’s just always my mentality. “You want them to beat you, so I’m just going to hopefully attack them. Fortunately my mechanics have felt pretty solid all season, and I am able to repeat pitches pretty consistently. But definitely not smarter, for sure.” That isn’t true, of course. Kershaw is plenty smart to know that while he is getting strikeouts in bunches these days, including 301 of them last season, it does no good to obsess about them. “As long as you keep your pitch count down, it doesn’t matter how you get outs,” he said. “As long as it’s weak contact, quick outs. Tonight I was able to get deep into the game. Strikeouts are just kind of a byproduct. It’s not that important in the grand scheme of things, for sure.” It’s also not important to chase Koufax’s accomplishments, either, but Kershaw appreciates the comparisons. “Any time you’re associated with [Koufax] it’s great, but strikeouts are strikeouts -- it doesn’t really matter,” Kershaw said. “But to be put in the same sentence with him, you don’t take it for granted, for sure.” Clayton Kershaw K's 13 as Dodgers top Mets By Doug Padilla LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw will never argue with a four-run lead in the first inning. The Los Angeles Dodgers have never lost when dropping four runs into the lap of their ace left-hander while he was in the game. The Dodgers are now 81-0 under those circumstances. The Dodgers cruised to a 5-0 victory Thursday over the New York Mets that was fueled by home runs from Yasmani Grandal and Chase Utley, but was really powered by a shutout from Kershaw.

When it was over, Kershaw had recorded 13 strikeouts, reaching double digits for a Dodgers-record fifth consecutive game. He was tied with Sandy Koufax and Hideo Nomo, who each did it over four straight. The major league record is eight consecutive, held by Chris Sale and Pedro Martinez. Kershaw did set one major league record, becoming the first pitcher to strike out at least 10 with one walk or less over five consecutive starts. He had one walk Thursday and did not allow his first hit until the fourth inning. It was just his fourth walk of the season. Perhaps it was fitting that Kershaw struck out the first batter he faced, Curtis Granderson, and the last, David Wright. Until the five-run output Thursday, the Dodgers hadn’t scored more than three runs in a home game since April 15. The Dodgers salvaged a split in the four-game series against the Mets. Clayton Kershaw just keeps getting better and better By ESPN Stats and Information It feels like you could say this almost every time he pitches, but Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw could easily have thrown a no-hitter against the New York Mets on Thursday night. Kershaw is 7-0 with a 1.17 ERA in 10 career regular-season starts against the Mets (who beat him in Game 1 of the 2015 NLDS). That's his best ERA against any National League team. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, Kershaw is the first Dodgers pitcher to record five straight 10-strikeout games since the mound was moved back to 60-feet, 6-inches in 1893. He almost became the first pitcher to have four straight 10-strikeout/no-walk games, but he missed out on that milestone after walking David Wright on a 3-2 pitch in the first inning. Instead, Elias credits him as being the first pitcher in the modern era of baseball (since 1900) to toss five consecutive games with 10 or more strikeouts while issuing no more than one walk. His eight 10-strikeout shutouts are the most of anyone since Kershaw debuted in 2008. No one else has more than four. What’s most amazing about Kershaw this season is that strikeout-to-walk ratio. Kershaw has 77 strikeouts and four walks. Per Elias, he’s one of two pitchers to have at least 70 strikeouts and single-digit walks through his first eight starts. Clayton Kershaw's repeated success puts him in an elite class of pitchers. ESPN Stats & Information Kershaw spoke after the game about the importance of getting quick outs. Twenty-two of the 27 outs Kershaw recorded came on four or fewer pitches, tied for the second-most in a game in his career. His breaking pitches were untouchable, netting 11 strikeouts -- his second most in any start. He threw 48 of them, none of which were hit out of the infield.

To help put Kershaw's pitching into historical perspective, we can use a statistic created by Baseball-Reference.com known as ERA+, which allows for comparing pitchers ERAs across eras, with adjustments for home ballpark. The higher the number, the better. The thing that’s most remarkable is this: Kershaw’s ERA+ entering Thursday's start was 155, the third best for any pitcher who threw at least 1,000 innings during his first nine seasons within the modern era (since 1900). Only Walter Johnson (176) and Pedro Martinez (168) rate better. He’s on a path to be one of the best pitchers in major league history. Dodgers beat Mets 5-0 behind Kershaw's 13 Ks By AP LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw is on a winning roll and doing it ever so efficiently. He tossed a three-hitter, Yasmani Grandal hit a three-run homer and Chase Utley added a solo shot to help the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Mets 5-0 Thursday night for a split of the four-game series. "It was special," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I definitely put my fan hat on." Making his 250th career start, Kershaw (5-1) struck out 13 on 108 pitches and walked one to win his third straight. It was the left-hander's fifth straight start with double-digit strikeouts, a club record. It was also his second shutout this month. He beat San Diego 1-0 on May 1. "Walking guys is how you get in trouble. I'd rather string hits together and make them swing the bats to beat me. That's always my mentality," Kershaw said. "Fortunately, I feel like my mechanics have felt pretty solid the whole season and I'm able to repeat pitches pretty consistently." Kershaw dominated in a matchup featuring pitchers with a combined four Cy Young Awards between them, with three belonging to the Dodgers ace. He improved to 7-0 with 74 strikeouts in 10 regular season starts against the Mets. "He never gives in," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "He doesn't have to stay in the zone to get you out. He's so dominant. He pitches in well to both sides of the plate. He makes you speed the bat up. His off-speed stuff is tremendous." The Dodgers jumped on Bartolo Colon (3-2) with four runs in the first inning. Their first run came on Justin Turner's RBI single before Grandal homered off a 2-0 pitch into the right-field pavilion, making it 4-0. Chase Utley added a two-out homer in the second for a 5-0 lead.

"They were aggressive early in the game. First two guys got base hits on the first swing," Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki said. "They were aggressive and took advantage of the balls up in the zone." The Dodgers came in averaging 2.69 runs at home after averaging 4.2 last year, but they delivered early support for Kershaw, who improved to 81-0 when given four or more runs of support while in the game. Los Angeles is 91-6 in those contests. "You want to help your pitcher out, especially early in the game," said Grandal, who homered for the second straight game. The Mets' fourth shutout loss of the season dropped them into a first-place tie with Washington atop the NL East. Colon gave up a season-high five runs and seven hits in five innings, equaling his shortest outing of the season. He struck out three and walked none in losing for the first time since April 9. In his last start, the 42-year-old became the oldest pitcher to homer in the major leagues with a stunning shot in San Diego last week. "I was throwing strikes and they were jumping on my first pitches," Colon said through a translator. TRAINER'S ROOM Mets: Placed INF Wilmer Flores on 15-day DL retroactive to Wednesday with a strained left hamstring. Dodgers: RHP Mike Bolinger made his second straight rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City as he works his way back from a left oblique strain. HITTING COLON Utley tied a season high with three hits, including a pair of singles, and scored two runs. He is 10 for 20 with two doubles and a homer with three RBI during his career against Colon. Utley ranks second among active players in both hits (188) and homers (36) against the Mets. UP NEXT Mets: RH Matt Harvey (3-4, 4.50) pitches the opener of a three-game series at Colorado, where he is 2-0 with a 0.39 ERA in three career starts. He struck out a season-high 10 in last his last start May 8 at San Diego. Dodgers: RH Ross Stripling (0-2, 3.82) makes his first career start against St. Louis in the series opener. Roommate rivalry: Dodgers' Ross Stripling vs. Cardinals' Michael Wacha By Doug Padilla

LOS ANGELES -- Michael Wacha is not very adept at housekeeping. Other than that, his former roommate, Ross Stripling, found it hard to identify weaknesses. The St. Louis Cardinals' Wacha and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Stripling, who once bunked together in an apartment at Texas A&M, are set to pitch against each other Friday in the opener of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. The trash talk began in earnest this week. The silent treatment is now starting. Friendships will be renewed once Friday’s final out is recorded. “It was probably something we talked about in college,” Stripling said. “I don’t remember a specific time talking about it, but it was like, ‘Can you imagine if we get drafted and pitch against each other in the big leagues?’ And now it’s going to happen, which is pretty crazy.” Stripling, who was actually one year ahead of Wacha at Texas A&M, will be making just his seventh career start. Wacha burst upon the scene with the Cardinals in 2013 and was an All-Star last season. Both were drafted in 2012. “It’s funny, because when we first signed, it was a competition like, ‘Who’s going to get there first?’” Stripling said. “Yeah, he was a first-rounder, then he just shot up and blew everybody away. He came in kind of like a slender 185 pounds throwing 85 mph, and as he filled out and got in the weight room just started throwing harder and harder, and you knew he was going to be special.” Stripling has a challenge ahead of him if he wants to get the better of his buddy, but he is coming off a six-inning outing at Toronto over the weekend in which he gave up just one hit. He also has that no-hit effort at San Francisco in his debut, when he was pulled with one out in the eighth inning. Wacha watched the end of that one, tipped off by his father, who was so superstitious that he refused to tell his son what was happening. “I asked him how he was doing and he said, ‘Uh, I can’t say anything, but it’s looking good,’" Wacha told ESPN.com’s Mark Saxon last month. “I was like, ‘Well, there’s an indication right there.’" The no-hitter never happened, as the Dodgers' bullpen blew the lead and the Giants won the game. Wacha certainly will root for his pal to finish off a no-hitter one day. He will not root for it Friday. So what do trash-talking friends discuss when they are about to face each other? “Nothing crossing the line by any means,” Stripling said. “It was literally who was going to hit better off each other and who will buy what if somebody pitches better or gets a hit or whatever. Both of our girlfriends are in town, so we’ll go out, probably get some dinner, drinks afterward, and whoever beats the other will probably have to pay for it. Nothing crazy.” Yet even the most expensive dinner has a limit. Pride is really what’s at stake here. Stripling admitted it will be hard to take his eyes off his friend’s performance.

“I think you have to enjoy it,” Stripling said. “How often do you get to pitch against your college roommate and teammate? I’ll definitely watch him and I will be cheering for our guys. I want it to be a good game. I’ll do my normal thing, do my normal routine, which is watch the game, typically, and do my own thing between innings. “You have to enjoy it while it’s going on and cherish this first time that we pitch against each other. Hopefully there’s more, but you never know.” Dodgers riding Clayton Kershaw hard into first turn By Doug Padilla LOS ANGELES -- Ride your horse too hard out of the gate in a Triple Crown race and there will not be much left down the stretch. Ride your ace pitcher too hard in April and May and you can probably expect a price to be paid in September and October. The Los Angeles Dodgers need Clayton Kershaw to step up Thursday night in order to come away with a split during their four-game series against the defending National League champion New York Mets. But the Dodgers have needed Kershaw to step up in essentially every start in this young season to keep the team from falling too far behind the class of the NL. When Kershaw pitched May 1 against the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers were on the equivalent of a weeklong journey through the desert without a canteen. So Kershaw took charge, getting everybody to the watering hole in the nick of time. He not only pitched a shutout but also drove in the game’s only run in a 1-0 victory. The effort ended a six-game losing streak. These are starts that take their toll over the long haul, even for a talent like Kershaw. "I think even if the guys are consistent, it’s a must-win with Clayton," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Thursday's game when asked about his rotation's inconsistency. "But the last turn, I think the guys have thrown the ball pretty well, actually." Yes, Kershaw is an ace, and he’s among those at the top of the heap when it comes to major league arms. But even the best pitcher in the game will have a tough time going full throttle for 32 starts a season. For the sake of self-preservation, Kershaw is going to need a Dodgers winning streak leading into one of his outings, or he is going to need heavy run support when he is on the mound. Just because the stereo’s volume goes to 10 doesn’t mean it should always sit there. How good has Kershaw been this season? He has 64 strikeouts and just three walks in seven starts. For some perspective, since 1893, only one other pitcher has recorded at least 60 strikeouts with five or fewer walks in their first seven starts: Curt Schilling (61/5 in 2001).

Call that simply Kershaw being Kershaw, if you will. The reality is that the Dodgers have needed the left-hander to step up. Not counting his Opening Day start, obviously, the 28-year-old has pitched after a loss five times (including Thursday’s start). That means he has pitched after a victory just twice. And he has never taken the mound with the Dodgers holding as much as a three-game winning streak. On Thursday night, he will try to become the first Dodgers pitcher ever to record double digits in strikeouts for the fifth consecutive start. Sandy Koufax and Hideo Nomo did it four times each. The major league record is eight straight starts, first done by Pedro Martinez in 1999 and tied by Chris Sale last season. Kershaw is also on a three-game run during which he has recorded double digits in strikeouts without walking a batter. It is the second time he has done that in his career. Over the past 100 years, the only other pitcher to match that achievement is Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer (last season). Kershaw's longest career run between walks is 34 innings, putting him 11 innings away from tying that mark. And Kershaw would have entered Thursday’s outing as the major league leader in strikeouts if Max Scherzer hadn’t set down 20 batters Wednesday. Kershaw will face the Mets having struck out 64 this season. Scherzer has 66 strikeouts.

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Clayton Kershaw is Masterful in 5-0 Shutout of Mets By Michael Duarte LOS ANGELES – Clayton Kershaw struck out 13 and the Los Angeles Dodgers shutout the New York Mets 5-0, on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw (5-1) had a record-setting performance on the night as he struck out 10 or more for the fifth consecutive start, a franchise record dating back to 1913. "Strikeouts are strikeouts, it doesn't really matter," Kershaw said of the record. "But to be put in the same sentence with him [Sandy Koufax], I don't take it for granted for sure." Yasmani Grandal homered for the second consecutive game, as the Dodgers split the four-game series with the Mets in a rematch of the 2015 National League Division Series. After three straight singles to start the game, Grandal crushed a Bartolo Colon fastball into deep right field to cap off a four-run first inning off the Mets right-hander. The estimated 449-foot blast was Grandal's longest on the season as he continues to hit well at Dodger Stadium.

"Our offense is gonna go at some point," Grandal said after the game. "They way we've been going, and we're still in first place? That's kinda scary. Once our offense gets going, I guarantee you there's a lot of pitchers that are going to pay." Chase Utley had a season-high three hits, going 3-for-4 with a solo home run in the second inning as the Dodgers built up an early 5-0 lead, never looking back with their ace on the mound. Utley is 10-for-20 with two doubles, a home run and three RBI against Colon, and ranks second in active players in hits and homers against the Mets franchise. Colon (3-2) lost for the first time since April 9, allowing five runs on seven hits in five innings of work (his shortest start of the season). The soon to be 43-year-old, went 0-for-1 with a strikeout at the plate after homering in his last start in San Diego. The night belonged to Kershaw however, as he recorded his second straight complete game shutout at Dodger Stadium and 14th of his career. "It's always my goal to shake the catcher's hand," Kershaw said of the 14 career complete game shutouts. "It's a good feeling." It was also Kershaw's second consecutive shutout of the Mets as he blanked the "Amazins'" on July 23rd of last season at Citi Field in a 7-0 victory. "It's always good to get a series split against a good team like that," Kershaw said of the Mets. "We scored some runs tonight, had some big home runs, so hopefully that carries over." On Thursday, in his 250th career start, Kershaw punched out 13 Mets' hitters, allowing just three hits with one walk, going the full nine innings. Adding to his lore, the three-time Cy Young Award winner has struck out 56 batters, issuing just two free passes in his last five starts. "I'm getting old," Kershaw joked of his 250 starts. "It went by fast, but hopefully I can make 250 more." Players of the Game: Clayton Kershaw: Complete game shutout. Yasmani Grandal: Three-run home run. Chase Utley: 3-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored. Three Takeaways: 1. Record-Breaker: Clayton Kershaw made his fifth consecutive start with double-digit strikeouts on Thursday, surpassing Sandy Koufax and Hideo Nomo for the longest such streak in franchise history. The MLB record is eight, held by Chris Sale and Pedro Martinez. 2. Undefeated: Clayton Kershaw is a perfect 81-0 in the regular season when spotted four or more runs of support in a game.

3. Three's Company: Even after his record-tying 20 strikeout performance on Wednesday night, Washington Nationals starter, Max Scherzer was passed by Clayton Kershaw for the MLB lead in strikeouts on Thursday (77-66). Kershaw also leads all active players in baseball with 14 career shutouts. Ironically, his counterpart, Bartolo Colon, is second with 13. Up Next: Mets (21-13): New York travels to Colorado where Matt Harvey takes the mount as they open a three-game series with the Rockies. Dodgers (18-17): Los Angeles hosts their playoff nemesis, the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday at Dodger Stadium as rookie Ross Stipling looks to earn his first career win. First pitch is 7:10PM PST. The Best Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo Gallery) By Michael Duarte A recent Forbes article claimed that the St. Louis Cardinals had the best fans in all of baseball. Surprisingly, those that bleed Dodger blue weren't even in the top ten. The fact that the Dodgers have had the best attendance marks in all of MLB for multiple years now aside, the loyal fans of Los Angeles literally show up in droves at every stadium across the country. Recently, when the team traveled to Atlanta to face-off with the Braves, broadcasters Nomar Garciaparra and Orel Hershiser said that there were more Dodger fans at Turner Field than Braves' fans. The same can be said for San Diego and Arizona. Despite the fact the team hasn't won a World Series since 1988, Dodger fans are easily at the top of the pack when it comes to the best fans in baseball. Here are just a few of them through pictures we've gathered this season. Trayce Thompson: Dodgers' Rookie Bursts onto the Scene in Big Way By Michael Duarte LOS ANGELES -- There’s another Splash Brother in the Golden State, but he's not Warrior, he wears Dodger blue. Trayce Thompson, younger brother of NBA star Klay Thompson, is starting to make a name for himself under the bright lights of Hollywood after he hit a pinch-hit, walk-off home run on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. Thompson's home run was the second straight game the outfielder went deep and his third long ball in week after his mammoth blast at Tropicana Field last Tuesday got caught in the catwalk and never came down. Thompson is the fourth professional athlete in his family but the first to do so in baseball. His father, Mychal won a couple NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. Klay is a key cog on the defending

NBA champion Golden State Warriors, who broke the record for most wins in a regular season (73) this year. His older brother, Mychel also made his NBA debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011. Thompson was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the second round of the 2009 MLB draft out of Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. He opted to play professional baseball instead of enrolling at UCLA, and he quickly climbed the minor league ladder and made his Major League debut on August 4, 2015. He hit .295 with a .363 on-base percentage in 122 at-bats for the White Sox last year. “I think one of the reasons why I had success is because I didn’t do too much,” Thompson said. “I just got to be myself, relax and go have fun, not try to do too much and just play the game.” The Dodgers acquired Thompson along with Micah Johnson and Frankie Montas in a three-team trade that sent All-Star third baseman Todd Fraizer to the White Sox from Cincinnati. Thompson knows Dodgers centerfielder Joc Pederson throughout his minor league career most notably through their time in the instructional league at their spring training facility in Glendale, A