The Los Angeles Dodgers responded to being shut out with an early offensive outburst in a 6-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers to take the series at Miller Park. Joc Pederson led the way with two home runs but the Dodgers needed Cody Bellinger’s heroics.
One of Pederson’s blasts was his second leadoff home run this season. He broke the Dodgers franchise record last year with eight such homers.
Corey Seager doubled in each of his first two at-bats, and Bellinger drove him in both times on an RBI single, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 4-0 through two innings. L.A. failed to score in the third but got back the board the following inning thanks to Pederson’s second homer.
With the Dodgers having reached the four-run threshold in support, in which Kershaw entered a lifetime 105-0 during the regular season when receiving that, he navigated his way through four no-hit innings.
Kershaw still had to pitch through traffic as he issued two walks in the first inning and one each in the second and third innings. Two of those were to Christian Yelich, who finished 0-for-2. He was Preview: Clayton Kershaw Draws Challenge Of Slowing Christian Yelich As Dodgers Eye Series Win Vs. Brewers.
Kershaw’s no-hitter was broken up when Orlando Arcia led off the fifth inning with a blooper that landed fair down the right-field line for a triple. Lorenzo Cain then dashed the shutout with a two-run home run.
Kershaw wound up getting through six innings with just the two runs allowed on Cain’s swing, four walks and six strikeouts.
While Scott Alexander managed to induce an inning-ending double play in the seventh when facing Cain as the tying run at the plate, Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen couldn’t follow suit in the eighth.
Baez exited responsible for two runners on, and Jansen allowed them to come in as Eric Thames drove a game-tying three-run homer to straightaway center field. Bellinger then lifted the Dodgers off the mat by getting the best of Josh Hader for a game-winning home run.
