The Los Angeles Dodgers scored two runs in the eighth inning to back seven shutout innings by Clayton Kershaw as they beat the Los Angeles Angels 2-0 in Anaheim, Calif., on Tuesday night.
Kershaw and Angels starter Reid Detmers put up zeroes through seven innings, leaving the outcome of the game to be decided by the bullpens. The Dodgers, despite entering the game with the worst bullpen ERA in the National League (5.04), had the better relievers on this night in the first game of the "Freeway Series."
Michael Busch's bad-hop RBI single off Angels reliever Chris Devenski (3-2) in the eighth inning scored the first run of the game. Will Smith added an RBI single later in the inning.
Busch came to the plate after Miguel Vargas had doubled with one out. He hit a grounder toward first baseman Kevin Padlo, but the ball took a bad hop over his head and went into right field. Freddie Freeman singled Busch to third, and Busch scored on Smith's single.
Dodgers reliever Caleb Ferguson retired Taylor Ward, Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout in a scoreless eighth, and Evan Phillips pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his eighth save.
Kershaw (9-4) threw 103 pitches over seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and two walks. The Angels, though, had their chances against him.
In the fourth inning, the Angels took a 1-0 lead, but it lasted only until a safe call at the plate was overturned after a replay review.
With two outs and nobody on, Brandon Drury singled. Hunter Renfroe followed with a double to left-center, Drury sliding head-first and touching the plate just as catcher Will Smith applied the tag.
Drury was ruled safe, but the Dodgers successfully challenged the call to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.
Drury and Renfroe teamed up again in the seventh, Drury leading off with a single and going to third on a double by Renfroe. But Kershaw worked his way out of the jam.
Padlo, just called up from Triple-A Salt Lake, swung at the first pitch he saw and hit a grounder to Vargas at shortstop. With the infield playing in, the baserunners held and Padlo was thrown out at first for the first out of the inning.
Chad Wallach struck out on a full-count pitch, and Luis Rengifo grounded into a force play to end the inning.
Detmers, who grew up idolizing Kershaw, matched him inning for inning through seven innings. Detmers allowed just two hits - a leadoff single to JD Martinez in the second inning and a leadoff single by Smith in the seventh. He walked one and struck out eight.
The closest the Dodgers came to scoring against Detmers came in the fourth, after Freeman led off with a walk. One out later, Freeman stole second. Detmers, though, struck out Martinez and retired Vargas on a groundout to escape.
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