Kershaw recorded two quick outs, even throwing a 46 mph curveball to Flowers in the bottom of the fourth. Francoeur and Stubbs combined for back-to-back two-out base hits and both runners advanced on a passed ball. Kershaw ended the inning with a strikeout of Smith.
Utley made a nice sliding stop and throw on a grounder up the middle to record the second out in the fifth. Kershaw then collected his sixth strikeout to send the game to the sixth inning, still tied at 1-1.
Wisler worked around a one-out single by Gonzalez and a two-out walk issued to Thompson to throw another scoreless inning. Freddie Freeman led off the bottom of the sixth with a base hit. Freeman was then thrown out attempting to advance on a pitch that momentarily kicked away from Ellis.
Freeman did beat the throw, but was came off the base and had his back leg blocked by Utley’s ankle while the veteran infielder applied the tag. However, had the Braves not lost their challenge, they may have been successful in getting the call overturned.
The play loomed large as Garcia dropped a flare single into right field that resulted in a double as Thompson overran the ball. Kershaw stranded Garcia by retiring Flowers and Francoeur. Garcia’s error allowed Ellis to reach to start the seventh.
Garcia then atoned for it by fielding a sharp grounder one pitch later to start a double play. Kershaw reached on a two-base error as Smith and Francoeur collided in right-center field. Wisler’s 115th pitch of the game was ball four to Utley, and the right-hander was removed.
Eric O’Flaherty entered and gave up a base hit to Seager, but Kershaw was thrown out at the plate by Francoeur to end the inning. Los Angeles challenged the call, which was upheld after a review that lasted nearly five minutes.
Kershaw struck out Smith a third time on the afternoon en route to throwing a 1-2-3 seventh inning. In getting through that frame, Kershaw completed at least seven innings in each of his first four outings to begin a season for the first time in his career.
Jim Johnson gave up a leadoff single to Gonzalez in the eighth, then got a force out at second base. Hernandez and pinch-hitter Yasmani Grandal both walked to load the bases with two outs. Justin Turner pinch hit for Charlie Culberson and lined out on the first pitch to end the threat.
Kershaw struck out Aybar and Castro in the eighth to reach 10 strikeouts in the game. Freeman kept the inning alive with a two-out walk, which was followed by a Garcia single to right field. Flowers left both runners on base as he hit a chopper to Turner for the third out.
Utley hit a one-out double off Ardonys Vizcaino in the ninth inning. He was advanced to third base on a Seager grounder, then Vizcaino intentionally walked Gonzalez. Pederson struck out swinging and the game remained tied at 1-1.
Chris Hatcher entered in the bottom of the ninth and set the Braves down in order. Grandal followed Hernandez’s one-out single in the 10th with a go-ahead double to center field. Kenley Jansen worked around a one-out double to convert the save opportunity in the Dodgers’ 2-1 win.
