Dodgers End Scoreless Game in 9th To Beat Yanks
NEW YORK (AP) — Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw pitched five nearly perfect innings and Justin Turner hit an RBI double off Dellin Betances in a two-run ninth that sent Los Angeles over the New York Yankees 2-0 on a rainy Wednesday.
The Dodgers took advantage of errors by second baseman Starlin Castro and Betances to increase their NL West lead to five games over San Francisco.
The Yankees completed a 7-3 homestand and remained two games behind Toronto for the second AL wild card. Next up, they begin an 11-game trip — their longest of the season — to Boston, Tampa Bay and Toronto.
Kershaw gave up one hit without a walk, pitching through two rain delays in his first career start at Yankee Stadium.
It was his second start since missing 10 weeks because of a herniated disk in his lower back, and he exited with a 1.81 ERA. He struck out three and has fanned 153 while walking just nine this season.
There was a brief, 12-minute wait in the middle of the fourth. After a 48-minute stoppage before the bottom of the fifth, Castro became the first Yankees batter to reach when Turner misplayed a hard grounder to third base for an error.
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Chase Headley followed with a single, and a sacrifice put two runners in scoring position. Kershaw toughened, striking out Rob Refsnyder and Austin Romine to keep it scoreless.
Luis Avilan (2-0) got four outs and Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth, matching his career high with 44 saves in 50 chances.
Los Angeles took two of three in an interleague series between old October rivals.
It was scoreless when Betances (3-5) took over to begin the ninth. Corey Seager led off with a liner that got under Castro's glove for an error, stole second and scored when Turner grounded a double down the third base line.
Turner moved to third on a flyball and scored as Betances fielded a comebacker by Yasmani Grandal but threw it over the head of catcher Gary Sanchez.
Yankees starter Michael Pineda pitched four innings, giving up two hits and two walks.
Pineda escaped his only jam in the fourth after a catcher's interference call loaded the bases with one out. Andre Ethier grounded into a double play, with Pineda sprawled out at first base to catch the relay.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Yankees: Rookie RF Aaron Judge is likely done for the regular season because of a strained right oblique, general manager Brian Cashman said. Judge hurt himself taking a swing Tuesday night.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: LHP Rich Hill (12-3, 1.80 ERA) starts at Arizona vs. RHP Archie Bradley (6-9, 5.10) as LA continues a 10-game trip. Hill has won nine straight decisions, and was pulled with a perfect game in progress after seven innings at Miami in his last start because of concerns about a recurring blister.
Yankees: New York begins a bruising trip when RHP Masahiro Tanaka (13-4, 3.04) starts at Fenway Park against Red Sox LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-7, 4.70) on Thursday night. The Yankees play four games in Boston, three at Tampa Bay and four in Toronto. It matches their longest trip in 10 seasons.
