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Kershaw finishes superb month with win over Cardinals

Cardinals have a day off today and will begin a series with the Giants on Tuesday.

Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Clayton Kershaw polished off a brilliant 
month  of June  with a 13-strikeout performance on Sunday, and the Los Angeles 
Dodgers  took a  6-0 decision from the  St. Louis Cardinals in the finale of a 
four-game set. 

Kershaw  (9-2) scattered five hits with two walks over seven scoreless innings 
to win his sixth straight decision, all in June. 

"As  a  starting pitcher, you try  to make it  through the first three or four 
innings  for  your team,"  said Kershaw.  "(St. Louis) is  a veteran team over 
there. I just tried to take advantage of some of their weaknesses." 

The  reigning NL Cy  Young Award winner went 6-0 with a minuscule 0.82 ERA and 
61  strikeouts  in six starts  throughout the  month, highlighted by his first 
career no-hitter on June 18 against Colorado. 

If  all that  wasn't enough, Kershaw is  in the midst of a 28-inning scoreless 
streak. 

Andre Ethier hit a three-run homer, while Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig each 
scored twice for the Dodgers, who have won 10-of-13 and tied the San Francisco 
Giants for first atop the NL West. 

St. Louis starter Shelby Miller (7-7) was charged with the loss after allowing 
six runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings on the hill. 

"They  threw the  ball  well," Cardinals manager  Mike  Matheny  said of  the 
Dodgers' rotation throughout the series. "We expect to score runs. It's one of 
those things we have to fight and figure it out." 

Kershaw  opened the game with two strikeouts in a scoreless first inning, then 
Miller  one-upped his counterpart in the home half by striking out the side in 
order. 

Yadier  Molina doubled  to lead  off the  second, but  Kershaw pitched  around 
trouble  with strikeouts to Peter Bourjos and Shane Robinson before Mark Ellis 
grounded out to end the inning. 

Kershaw continued to mow through the Cardinals order in the third, although he 
had  to contend with another threat. Miller was called out on strikes to begin 
the frame and Matt Carpenter followed with his second hit of the day, a single 
to right. As Matt Holliday struck out swinging on a breaking ball in the dirt, 
Carpenter swiped second for his third stolen base of the season. 

After  a  walk to  Jhonny Peralta,  Kershaw froze Allen  Craig with a backdoor 
curveball to end the inning. 

Miller  was up to  the task in opposing one of baseball's best, easily getting 
through  the first  eight Los Angeles hitters before issuing a two-out walk to 
Kershaw  in the third.  Dee Gordon stepped in and ripped a line drive to Craig 
at first for the third out. 

The  Dodgers  southpaw continued  his barrage  with two  more punchouts in the 
fourth, marking nine of the first 12 outs coming via the strikeout. 

Los  Angeles  finally broke through against  Miller in the fourth. Puig drew a 
walk  to begin  the inning and Gonzalez  alertly placed a bunt down the third- 
base line to beat the shift for the Dodgers' first hit of the day. 

Matt  Kemp then muscled a single out to center that scored Puig and Juan Uribe 
skied a sacrifice fly out to center two batters later for a 2-0 edge. 

"We've  been  scoring in a  lot of different  ways," said Kershaw. "That's the 
sign of good team." 

A big second inning lifted the Dodgers to a 9-1 win on Saturday, and LA used a 
four-run fifth on Sunday to break it open. 

With  two  outs, Puig legged  out a double and  scored on Gonzalez's single to 
center.  Matt Kemp  followed with a double  to move Gonzalez over to third and 
Ethier  chased them home with a towering drive to right that pushed the margin 
to 6-0. 

"Clayton  set  the tone early,"  said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. "Adrian's 
bunt  was  big for us  in the fourth  and Andre's homer  was huge. I feel good 
about the way we're playing." 

Brandon  League and  Jamey Wright each pitched a scoreless inning in relief of 
Kershaw to finish off the shutout. 

                                   Game Notes 

Kershaw  struck out his  100th batter of the season early in the contest. With 
only  nine walks  on the year, Kershaw  issued the fewest walks at the time of 
his  100th K in  Dodgers history. Sandy Koufax had 19 at the time of his 100th 
strikeout  in 1965 ... It was the 12th six-win month in Dodgers history ... LA 
has made up 9.5 games in the last 21 days with San Francisco ... Carpenter had 
three  of the Cardinals' six hits ...  St. Louis went 0-for-9 with runners in 
scoring position. 

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