The opposing starter had departed after facing only one batter, but there Clayton Kershaw stood, on the mound in the center of Dodger Stadium, a living, breathing anachronism for seven innings in an 5-2 victory in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. The starting pitcher may be going the way of the dodo, but Kershaw is still holding firm, even as his fastball dims and his mileage increases. He is not ready for extinction. The 2018 season has not been easy on Kershaw. He hurt his shoulder. He hurt his back. Some days hurt his pride. Few games looked worse than the opening night of this series, when the Brewers disposed of him in three-plus innings. Undaunted by the worries about his pitch mix and his psyche, he roared back Wednesday, carving up Milwaukee’s lineup with nine strikeouts to give the Dodgers a 3-2 series lead and deposit the team on the doorstep of another World Series. “When you get a champion like him, that gets hit around a little bit, he’s going to respond,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And that’s what he did today.” It is too soon to crown Kershaw. The Dodgers still require five victories to secure the trophy that this city and this franchise have craved since 1988. After a season of discontent, they are on the verge of securing back-to-back pennants for the first time since 1977-1978. Advertisement Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw on what it means to be up 3-2 in the NLCS. To get there, the Dodgers required a vintage effort from their ace. He learned from his missteps in Game 1, reshaping his approach to silence the Milwaukee offense. On a day when the Brewers attempted to reinvent the wheel, Kershaw ran them over. Kershaw permitted one run and three hits. He retired the last 13 batters he faced. In the days between his outings, he sharpened his slider and unearthed his curveball. The two pitches complemented each other while protecting his fastball. The Brewers looked flummoxed as Kershaw trusted the curve early in the count, then defensive as he ended at-bats with sliders. To support him, the Dodgers’ offense deviated from their usual strategy of slugging and slumping by making productive outs, slapping singles and running with abandon. On multiple occasions, Kershaw has joked that if he wins the World Series, he might retire. The chase has lasted a decade now. Along the way, he experienced injury and exhaustion and exultation. Never before has he looked as vulnerable as he has at times this season. Yet here he stands, on the precipice of the oasis. “It wasn’t as easy maybe as last year to get to this point,” Kershaw said. “But if you would have told us in spring training we would have a chance to go back to the World Series, one game to go, we definitely would have taken that.” Hyun-Jin Ryu will start Game 6 on Friday at Miller Park, with Walker Buehler holstered for Game 7. Ryu will face the same pitcher listed as the starter Wednesday for Milwaukee. After their bullpen was torched in the 13-inning marathon of Game 4, the Brewers tried some subterfuge. 1 / 33 Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is congratulated by Yasiel Puig after scoring a run. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 33 Dodgers Yasiel Puig celebrates while running out an RBI single in the sixth inning. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 33 Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw shows an emotional outburst while pitching against the Brewers in the sixth inning. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 33 Dodgers Clayton Kershaw pumps his fist after inducing Brewers hitter Erik Kratz to ground out to shortstop Manny Machado to end the seventh inning. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 33 Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig is brushed back off the plate with an inside pitch in the eighth inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 33 Dodgers Yasiel Puig takes a bow in front of the Dodgers bench after he apparently stole third base in the eighth inning in game five of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium. The play was nullified and he went back to second base. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 33 Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig slides safely to second base after hitting a double in the eighth inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 33 Dodgers Clayton Kershaw celebrates after scoring a run against the Brewers in the 7th inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 33 Dodgers Yasiel Puig slides safely into second base with an eighth inning double as Brewers second baseman Hernan Perez is late with the tag. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 33 Dodgers Yasiel Puig celebrates hitting a double in the eighth inning. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 33 Clayton Kershaw scores a run on Justin Turner’s RBI against the Brewers in the 7th inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 33 Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw raises his arms after scoring on a double by Justin Turner in the seventh inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 33 Dodgers Yasiel Puig celebrates while running out an RBI single in the sixth inning. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 33 Dodgers Yasiel Puig celebrates while running out an RBI single in the sixth inning. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 33 Dodgers Justin Turner is congratulated after scoring a run in the sixth inning. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 33 Dodgers pinch hitter Yasiel Puig celebrates his RBI single against the Brewers inthe 6th inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 33 Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig hits an RBI single scoring Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Manny Machado in the sixth inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 33 Dodgers Max Muncy is tagged out by Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia after a rundown in the sixth inning. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 33 Clayton Kershaw watches the flight of a Mike Moustakas fly ball in the fourth inning. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 33 Kiké Hernández shows frustration after striking out in the fifth inning in Game 5. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 33 Dodgers center fielder Chris Taylor beats the throw to first base. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 33 Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw reacts after striking out Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar with the bases loaded in the third inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 33 Cody Bellinger walks slowly back to the dugout after striking out in the third inning. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 33 Justin Turner fields a fourth inning grounder and thows out Brewers hitter Hernan Perez. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 33 Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy tosses his helmet after striking out for the second time in the fourth inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 33 Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff throws a pitch against the Dodgers in the fourth inning in Game 5 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium Wednesday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 33 Dodgers shortstop Manny Machado breaks his bat on a ground out in there first inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 33 Lorenzo Cain is caught stealing and tagged out by second baseman Max Muncy. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 33 Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger beats the tag of Brewers second baseman Hernan Perez to steal a base in the first inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 33 Dodgers Justin Turner is hit by a pitch in the first inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 33 Brewers pitcher Wade Miley is pulled form the game by manger Craig Counsell in the 1st inning.<doc-sep>Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images The Los Angeles Dodgers are one win away from the World Series after their 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 5. The Brewers tried some trickery at the start of Wednesday's game with starter Wade Miley only facing one batter, but it didn't matter against Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers starter bounced back from a rough Game 1 outing to allow only one run allowed in seven innings. Yasiel Puig went 2-for-2 off the bench, including a clutch RBI single in the sixth inning, to help Los Angeles build a 3-2 lead in the National League Championship Series. Craig Counsell's Gamble Gave Brewers Best Chance to Win Series Wade Miley was the listed starter in Wednesday's game and pitched to the first batter, but that was the end of his night. Brewer manager Craig Counsell pulled Miley in place of Brandon Woodruff, who took over and struck out eight batters in 5.1 innings while allowing three runs (two earned). As Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports noted, this switch was the team's plan all along. Miley will instead pitch Game 6. Video Play Button Videos you might like The move was surprising, but there were several good reasons behind it: Los Angeles didn't go as righty-heavy against the left-handed Miley as it did in Game 1, but David Freese was still in the No. 3 spot in the lineup and was pulled after only one at-bat. Perhaps more importantly, the Brewers' rotation was not lined up well going forward. Not only was Miley starting on three days of rest, but Jhoulys Chacin also would have had to go on short rest in Game 6. With the team's lack of starting pitching depth, Game 7 would have been a complete mystery. Suddenly, the Brewers have their top two starters available on full rest in the next two games if needed, both of which will be at home. Meanwhile, this was more than just punting one game to get an advantage in the others. Woodruff had been one of the team's best pitchers down the stretch, and he put forth an excellent performance Wednesday. His 5.1 innings were his longest outing of the season. Though things went south the third time through the order, Woodruff gave the Brewers a chance to win and helped prove Counsell right, despite the loss. Clayton Kershaw Still Has More to Prove Before Changing Playoff Narrative It's almost undeniable that Kershaw has been the best pitcher in baseball over the past decade. The problem is his reputation has been held back due to his struggles in the playoffs. He has a career 2.39 ERA in the regular season, but he entered Wednesday with a 4.26 mark in the playoffs. That included a 5.24 ERA in 11 appearances in the NLCS. Kershaw did everything he could to show he was past his struggles Wednesday, going seven innings with only one run allowed on three hits. He also struck out nine batters while walking only two. He was aggressive with his curveball, which was especially impressive: As we have seen so many times throughout his MLB career, Kershaw was the biggest reason the Dodgers came away with a win. On the other hand, we have also seen him pitch well in the playoffs before, including when he shut down the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of this year's NLDS. The postseason monkey seemed to be off his back, but then he failed to get past the fourth inning in Game 1 of this series. Last year, he followed up a gem in Game 1 of the World Series with a dud in Game 5. When Kershaw is at his best, there is no one better in the game, but the Dodgers need him to be at least close to his best every time out when the stakes are this high. Failing to get out of the fifth inning won't get it done. As well as he pitched against the Brewers on Wednesday, one game in the NLCS will not define his legacy. If the Dodgers advance to World Series, Kershaw will need to produce more quality starts to change his negative playoff narrative. Brewers Won't Reach World Series Unless Christian Yelich Wakes Up Harry How/Getty Images Christian Yelich is the favorite to win MVP of the National League, and he is one of the biggest reasons the Brewers are still alive in the playoffs. However, he hasn't looked like himself so far this series. The outfielder finished 0-for-4 in Game 5 with one strikeout, which is the first time he failed to reach base so far this postseason. Although he had been drawing some walks prior to Wednesday, he is now hitting .150 in five games this series with only three singles. His last extra-base hit came in Game 1 of the NLDS when he hit a home run against the Colorado Rockies. Since then, he is just 3-of-25 at the plate in seven games. No one was hotter than Yelich in the second half of the season, and he was especially dominant in the final week. While the Brewers were closing the regular season with eight straight wins, the outfielder had a .458 batting average and an outrageous 1.857 OPS. It's impossible for someone to stay that hot forever, but the Brewers weren't expecting him to go so cold this quickly. While Milwaukee has other quality hitters on the roster, its offense has been nonexistent over the past two games. The Brewers' season may end Friday unless Yelich turns things around in a hurry. What's Next? The series now returns to Milwaukee for Game 6 on Friday. Wade Miley will likely make a real start for the Brewers, while Hyun-Jin Ryu will be available for the Dodgers.<doc-sep>Clayton Kershaw reflects on his impressive outing after the Dodgers' 5-2 victory and discusses the importance of going back to Milwaukee with a win. (0:54) LOS ANGELES -- Erik Kratz swung through a Clayton Kershaw curveball as if he had never seen a baseball move before. It was a 1-1 count in the top of the fourth inning Wednesday. The Milwaukee Brewers were leading by a run in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, and Kratz was noticeably jumpy. Kershaw's pitch began parallel with his chest and quickly dropped like an anvil, prompting an awkward half-swing and a deep exhale. It was the type of 12-to-6 curveball that made Kershaw a legend and has so often eluded him in recent years. MLB Postseason on ESPN Radio From the first pitch of every series to the last out of Game 7, you can catch the entire MLB postseason on ESPN Radio. Listen » Kratz swore he saw something different. "I think it was a changeup," he said playfully before being informed that Kershaw hardly ever throws one. "Oh, maybe that's why I swung so bad at it." Kershaw was in vintage form while pitching the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-2 victory and a 3-2 lead in the NLCS. He completed seven innings, gave up one run, allowed five baserunners and struck out nine batters -- four more than he recorded in two previous postseason starts combined. Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes called it "prototypical Kershaw," largely because his trademark off-speed pitches were so effective. Perhaps motivated by the early start that forced batters to contend with the afternoon shadows, Kershaw threw sliders or curveballs on 67 percent of his pitches, tied for the second-highest percentage in any start of his 11-year career, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Eighty-five percent of his two-strike pitches were breaking balls, and all of his strikeouts came because of them. Seven of those punchouts came on the slider, as did 10 of the 19 swing-and-misses -- but the curveball was a separator. The shape and velocity of the pitch is an especially crucial weapon for Kershaw these days because a fastball that has steadily declined in velocity and a slider that has continually taken on the characteristics of a cutter appear so similar now. "My fastball and slider are pretty close in speed," Kershaw said. "If I'm able to throw that [curveball] over for strikes, it gives them a different speed and depth to look at. It's definitely important." Kershaw used to be defined by the big, loopy, over-the-top curveball that offset his devastating fastball-slider combination. It made him nearly unhittable. But the back injuries that have sent him to the disabled list each of the past three seasons have made it increasingly difficult for Kershaw to get over the top on that pitch and throw it effectively. This start looked like an exception.<doc-sep>
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw was excellent for seven innings Wednesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. The lefty put the clamps down on Milwaukee to lead the Dodgers to a big win. A close game into the later innings, the Dodgers scored in pairs for the sixth and seventh inning to pull away to a 5-2 victory. The win gives the Dodgers a 3-2 lead in the series as it shifts to Milwaukee for Game 6 Friday night. Kershaw worked through a wobbly third inning that saw him walk two — including opposing pitcher Brandon Woodruff — and leave a slider over the outer half of the plate for Lorenzo Cain to smash. The only run of the game for the Brewers off Kershaw scored on Cain’s double to dead center. Before the inning would draw to a close, Kershaw would strike out Jesus Aguilar with the bases loaded to end the threat. “I was thankful to get ahead of him in that at-bat,” Kershaw said of facing Aguilar. “And I was trying to stay on the edges as best I could. He’s a great hitter, he had a great year. I was trying to do my best to work the bottom of the zone, work the edges, get him to chase as best I could.” “(I was) fortunate to get a slider past him for that last pitch.” Kershaw would allow just one other batter to reach outside of the third and starting with strikeout of Aguilar, he would retire the final 13 batters he faced. When the dust settled on his afternoon, the left-hander had struck out nine. Kershaw struck out nine or more in just three starts during the regular season, his lowest since his rookie season when he had none. Wednesday was proof that the bullets are still there, firing off his eighth career postseason start with at least nine strikeouts. Justin Verlander with eight himself, is the only other starter in baseball history to achieve that status. It was the ninth time in his career that Kershaw went at least six innings and allowed one earned run or less, joining Verlander and Whitey Ford in a tie for seventh all-time. Tom Glavine tops the list with 16. Clayton Kershaw, ladies and gentlemen. pic.twitter.com/3uLrqtRpxe — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 18, 2018 “Clayton was outstanding today,” gushed his manager Dave Roberts. “Mixed his pitches really well. He was stressed there in the third inning where he was up to 30 pitches and big punch on Aguilar, and settled in and gave us that length that we needed. And so we kind of fed off that.” The offense was held in check by Woodruff in the early going, coming up with their first hit in the fourth inning. But two double play balls in the first four frames kept the Dodgers off the scoreboard. It was the fifth inning when the home team would break through to tie the score. Chris Taylor led off with an infield single to short, advancing on a bad throw from Orlando Arcia. On the very next pitch, Taylor stole third without a throw and scored two batters later when Austin Barnes banged a base hit through the drawn in infield into center. The single was also important because Yasiel Puig was on deck to bat for Kershaw, with the Dodgers down one. The tie game allowed Kershaw to hit for himself and throw two more perfect innings. “In that situation it’s 1-0,” Kershaw said. “So thankfully Barnes came up huge right there, got that big knock for us. Because if the runner is on third, Puig is probably going to get that at-bat and my day is over.” In a tie game, the offense came up big the third time through the order. Following a Justin Turner single and Manny Machado getting hit by a pitch in the left elbow, Max Muncy beat the shift with a run-scoring single through the left side of the infield. Pulled back for Kershaw in the previous inning, Puig came up in the sixth to pinch-hit for Kike Hernandez. Puig lined a 2-2 fastball into center to give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead, even if Muncy was thrown out trying to advance to third. Allowed to hit for himself in the seventh knowing he wasn’t coming back for the eighth, Kershaw walked to start up another rally. Cody Bellinger doubled to left and Turner floated a single that dropped in front of Cain in center.