Kershaw tossed a 1-2-3 fourth inning, getting back-to-back strikeouts of Belt and Duffy in the process. A Turner walk and Kendrick single to center put runners on first and second with none out in the bottom of the fourth.
Ellis hit a grounder to Kelby Tomlinson that he booted and then threw high to first base. Charlie Culberson stepped in with the bases full and slapped a two-run single into right field. Kershaw then reached on a Panik error, which once again loaded the bases.
Hernandez turned on the first pitch he saw, pulling a two-run double inside of third base to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 6-1 before Bumgarner could get out of the inning. Kershaw retired the side in order in the fifth, running his strikeout total on the night to five.
Pagan and Panik opened the sixth with back-to-back singles. Both runners then advanced on a Posey grounder to the right side. Kershaw’s second wild pitch of the game allowed another run to come across, trimming the Dodgers’ lead to 6-2.
Friday marked the fifth game of Kershaw’s career with two wild pitches, and his first since 2012. In addition, it was the first time Kershaw wild-pitched two runs in a game. Pence lined the ninth pitch of his at-bat for a two-run single, pulling the Giants to within two runs of the Dodgers.
After A.J. Ellis led off the bottom of the sixth with a double, he came around to score on Culberson’s RBI single. Having already thrown 93 pitches, Kershaw took the mound in the seventh and retired the side in order.
Turner hit a one-out triple in the bottom of the inning as Pence came up empty on a diving catch attempt. Giants rookie reliever Derek Law otherwise struck out the side to prevent the Dodgers from adding to their lead.
Chris Hatcher and Joe Blanton combined for two scoreless innings of relief to seal the Dodgers’ 7-3 win. The victory put Los Angeles one-half game ahead of the Colorado Rockies, and a full game in front of the Giants for first place in the National League West.
