Kershaw Wins 14th, Dodgers Beat Brewers 5-1

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Clayton Kershaw won his 14th game to tie for the National League lead, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep in a matchup of divisional leaders.

Kershaw (14-2) allowed a run and six hits with two walks and six strikeouts in eight innings. He allowed leadoff hitters to reach base in four of the first five innings of an outing that might qualify as a subpar effort for the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

Nevertheless, the left-handed ace lowered his league-leading ERA to 1.78. Adrian Gonzalez drove in two runs, and scored the go-ahead run in the fifth off Jimmy Nelson (2-3).

Kershaw also reached base three times and had an RBI single in the eighth.

On the mound, Kershaw benefited from base-running blunders and failed aggressive play by the Brewers.

In the third, Nelson wasted his leadoff double after getting tagged out trying to advance from second on a grounder by Carlos Gomez. Later, Gomez was picked off first.

Rickie Weeks hit a leadoff double in fifth. Two batters later, Jean Segura popped up a squeeze attempt caught by a charging Kershaw in front of the plate. He threw easily to third to double off Weeks.

The Brewers staked Nelson to an early 1-0 lead following Ryan Braun's RBI single in the first.

But after a strong first couple innings, Nelson appeared to have trouble keeping his sinker down. He allowed eight hits and two runs in six innings.

Gonzalez increased his season RBI total to 79. His run-scoring double in the seventh came after Carl Crawford singled and move to third following two throwing errors on a pickoff attempt.

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