Kershaw mows 'em down

If you blinked, you missed the latest dominating start from Clayton Kershaw.

Kershaw lasted into the ninth inning as he gave up one run with nine strikeouts. Kenley Jansen cleaned it up for the save, and the Dodgers got a win over the Diamondbacks, 3-1. The Dodgers are now on a season-best two-game winning streak.

OK, so that was a slight exaggeration. But if you've suffered through these last couple of months like I have, you know winning has been few and far between. So savor it while it's here.

It's obvious the Dodgers have nothing to play for these days, especially against a team in a similar situation. Their starting lineup included the likes of Trent Oeltjen, Russell Mitchell, and Chin-lung Hu, in addition to new starters like Jay Gibbons and A.J. Ellis. Not exactly a lineup that would send shivers down anyone's spine.

However, the Dodgers were the first team to get on the board thanks to one of those subs. In the third, Ellis walked leading off. Hu popped up and Kershaw struck out while failing to get down a bunt. Hitting in the leadoff spot, Oeltjen laced an RBI triple for the 1-0 advantage.

The following inning, the Dodgers pushed another run across. Andre Ethier took his turn hitting a triple, this time to lead off. A sac-fly RBI by Gibbons to center made it 2-0.

That was more than enough for Kershaw, who kept the Diamondbacks totally off-balanced all night. The formula was simple: fastball and hook. But boy were they effective. Granted the Diamondbacks aren't exactly tearing the cover off the ball either, but he was awesome regardless.

The Dodgers got their last run of the night in the ninth with the game flying right by. Reed Johnson entered the game in left for Gibbons in the seventh, and he smoked a solo shot to right to go up 3-0. That was only his second of the season, not that he's a big home run threat anyway.

Kershaw was given a chance to finish what he started, but that only lasted two batters into the ninth. Chris Young singled on a full count leading off. Tony Abreu, the former Dodger who's never been confused with a power hitter, took a fastball over Matt Kemp's head in center for the RBI, making it 3-1.

That was it for Kershaw, who got yanked for Jansen. Hong-Chih Kuo got the save against the Padres the previous night, so it was good to see Jansen get the opportunity (and not that other guy). Immediately, he got Kelly Johnson popping up for the first out, but walked Stephen Drew to put two on.

Even in a throwaway game that means absolutely nothing at this point, it was still a big spot for a young guy like Jansen. He has closer written all over him, but has to show if he has the moxie to actually thrive in that roll. Two on and one out on the road is a great situation to test him.

In the end, he passed with flying colors. Adam LaRoche notched his fourth strikeout of the game for the second out. Ryan Church pinch-hit and was caught looking to end the game. Jansen's fastball was just too much to handle.

I'm glad the Dodgers didn't blow Kershaw's chance for a win, which now makes him 13-10. I've gone over this before, but he definitely deserves more wins than he's gotten. In a way he's like Felix Hernandez, as both pitcher's records aren't nearly a reflection for how well they've done. That's not to say Kershaw has done as well, as I don't think anyone's been better than King Felix this year.

Still, Kershaw has a 13-10 record and 2.91 ERA. Hernandez is 12-12 with a 2.31 ERA. So, the comparisons are there. By the way, it's great to see Hernandez getting plenty of Cy Young talk, as people are wise to ignore the overrated win-loss record. If that award is for the best pitcher, then a lousy offense shouldn't penalize him. Hopefully it won't.

The Kershaw-Jansen connection is something we all can grow to love, as both showed how they can take over a game. Kershaw is clearly the top dog of the staff, and Jansen will surely be in the closer's mix for next season. These are two guys the Dodgers can certainly build around.

Next up is another start by John Ely. He's done everything he could to make people forget about his great start to the season. I'm talking a 19.80 ERA in July and 7.84 in September. It's no surprise he hasn't won since June 29. Daniel Hudson, on the other hand, has been fantastic since coming over in the Edwin Jackson deal.