Clayton Kershaw reached the magical 20-win plateau on Tuesday night, becoming the first Dodger to do so since Ramon Martinez in 1990.
What may be even more impressive, however, has been Kershaw's repeated dominance over Tim Lincecum and the Giants all this season.
Kershaw upped his record to 5-0 against the defending World Series champions this year, including 4-0 against the two-time Cy Young Award winner, as the Dodgers beat the Giants, 2-1. It was your latest example why Kershaw should clearly be the front runner for this year's Cy Young Award.
The Giants actually put a couple runners on to start the game: one on an error by Aaron Miles to allow Andres Torres to reach, the other on a bloop single by Carlos Beltran. But, they were their own worst enemy, as Torres was gunned trying to steal second, and Beltran was picked off of first by Kershaw.
Knowing runs would once again be at a premium with these two flamethrowers on the mound, the Dodgers were able to put some pressure on right away. With two outs in the first, Matt Kemp and Juan Rivera hit hard singles. James Loney lined one right back up the middle for an RBI single and a 1-0 lead.
The next inning, the Dodgers again got a run. Jerry Sands led off and crushed a solo shot in to deep left, making it 2-0. It was the fourth of the season for him, who's clearly settled in at the plate. In 12 September games, he's hitting .386 with a .460 OBP, along with two homers and five RBIs.
A 2-0 lead in a game like this may as well have seemed like a 10-run lead, as Kershaw got locked in. Even when he'd allow hits, they'd get stranded. In the third, Justin Christian hit a leadoff double, stole third with one out, but couldn't score. Two singles were hit in the fifth, but Christian was the latest to get erased on the bases to squash a threat.
After mowing down the Giants in order during the sixth and seventh, Kershaw got Christian flying out to start the eighth. But, Chris Stewart came out of nowhere and hit a solo home run, cutting the lead to 2-1. Kershaw has pitched five complete games this year, but he clearly ran out of gas by walking Pat Burrell and Torres.
If there's another pitcher who's been just as impressive as Kershaw, it's Kenley Jansen, who's been absolutely on fire since returning from injury on June 18. The Giants were still clinging onto their slim playoff hopes, and sent Pablo Sandoval and Beltran, the heart of the order, up to the plate.
The result? Two strikeouts from Jansen, preserving Kershaw's chance at his 20th win.
Javy Guerra has also played a huge role as the season rolled on, and he was summoned to close it out. However, he immediately threw one away to allow Mark DeRosa to reach on an error. No matter, as Brett Pill flew out and Aubrey Huff grounded into a double play to end it. It was Guerra's 19th save.
The story was once again Kershaw, who was making his final home start of the season. He lasted 7 1/3 innings for six hits, one run, two walks, and six strikeouts. Jansen was huge in getting the last couple of outs in the eighth, and Guerra in closing it out.
It's been fun to look at Kershaw's stats, especially as the year has worn on and winning a Cy Young has become more and more realistic. His 2.27 ERA, 242 strikeouts, and .208 BAA are tops in the National League, and his 20 wins are tied for the lead with Ian Kennedy. He's also right near the top in complete games (six), shutouts (two), and WHIP (0.99).
For good measure, he also leads the NL with eight pickoffs. Hey, why not? Everything else has gone right.
As if Kershaw's stats aren't reason enough to give him the award, his last start of the year is scheduled to be Sunday against the feeble Padres. To put in perspective just how bad the Padres are at the plate, they're dead last in the National League in average, slugging, hits, and home runs. In other words, it's pretty much the perfect matchup to improve on his stats even more.
Even if Kershaw is just so-so, there's no way he can be denied winning the Cy Young this year. On a team that has struggled all year, he has given them a huge advantage every fifth day, no matter what team the Dodgers are playing. He's just that good. And his numbers more than reflect his dominance.
The Dodgers are down to two home games remaining on the season, and they will continue to try and spoil the postseason hopes of the Giants. Dana Eveland came back to Earth a bit in his last start, as the Pirates handed him his first loss. He'll look to bounce back against Ryan Vogelsong.
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