It took Clayton Kershaw 10 starts, but he finally got his first Major-League win as him and the bullpen combined to keep the Nats scoreless in a 2-0 victory for the sweep.
Juan Pierre, Matt Kemp, and Russell Martin each had two hits for the day, totaling six of the seven Dodger hits. James Loney added one in the second with a solo homerun to give the Dodgers an early lead. Martin added an insurance run in the fifth with an RBI-single to score Juan Pierre.
Kershaw threw 86 pitches in his six innings, and allowed just four hits to send him to his first win. Chan-Ho Park and Hong-Chih Kuo each threw an inning for holds, with Park having a 1-2-3 seventh inning with two strikeouts. Jonathan Broxton seems to be at ease in his new, temporary closer role: he threw a 1-2-3 ninth with one strikeout for his fourth save.
The win brings the Dodgers back to .500, the first time at that mark in almost two months. The Dbacks won today, so the Dodgers stay 1/2 game behind them in the division. That division lead could change as early as tomorrow, though, with the Dodgers continuing their homestand with a three-game series with the Giants. Hiroki Kuroda will make the start and face Kevin Correia. Correia is 1-5 with an ERA near 6.
