Clayton Kershaw sets milestone in much-needed win for Dodgers

Kershaw held the Orioles to just two hits over 5.0 scoreless frames before Baltimore finally got to him in the sixth. A two-out single from Gunnar Henderson, followed by an RBI double off the bat of Emmanuel Rivera, marked the end of Kershaw's 83-pitch outing.

Clayton Kershaw's legendary August and Orioles milestone

The southpaw posted eye-popping numbers in August, going 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA in five starts covering 28.2 innings. In August, Kershaw was one of only two pitchers to collect five wins, with the other being Cade Horton of the Chicago Cubs, who posted a 5-1 mark in the month.

That month was also special because of Kershaw's efficiency. Since pitches were first tracked in 1988, there have been 566 instances of a pitcher winning five or more games in a single regular-season calendar month. Kershaw, however, was the only one to throw fewer than 400 pitches to accomplish that, needing just 395 in August.

Kershaw's outing against the Orioles also cemented what has been a stellar career against the American League East. In his 18-year career, Kershaw entered Sunday with a 2.97 ERA in 88.0 innings against teams from the division.

Sunday's start was also another milestone in what will eventually be a Hall of Fame career for Kershaw. His outing against the Orioles checked off the final Dodger opponent he has yet to face in his career. It took until his 448th start (and 451st outing) to face all 29 other clubs besides the Dodgers, the only team for whom he has ever pitched.

While the personal milestone for Kershaw was newsworthy, the most important part of his day was helping Los Angeles put a positive cap to what has been a nightmarish 1-5 road trip through Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Hoping to use Sunday as momentum, Los Angeles returns home to open a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.