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Clayton Kershaw jaws at Don Mattingly in Los Angeles Dodgers' win

By Forrest Lee, The Sports Xchange
Los Angeles Dodgers' manager Don Mattingly (L) and pitcher Clayton Kershaw. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
Los Angeles Dodgers' manager Don Mattingly (L) and pitcher Clayton Kershaw. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

LOS ANGELES -- A heated exchange in the dugout between Dodgers manager Don Mattingly and ace Clayton Kershaw overshadowed Los Angeles' 6-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday at Dodger Stadium.

Kershaw (15-7) struck out nine and gave up three runs on six hits before departing after throwing 80 pitches (57 strikes) in five innings, his shortest stint this season.

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Mattingly's decision to yank the left-hander didn't go over well with the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, who was still steaming when he met with the media after the game and refused to discuss the confrontation.

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"I'm not going to talk about that at all," Kershaw snapped. "If you guys want to talk about the game, I'm more than happy to talk about that."

Kershaw, though, admitted he didn't have his best stuff against the Diamondbacks.

"My curveball was terrible," he said. "I need to go back to the drawing board on that. Lots of two-strike hits. You can't let that happen. They hit a couple of balls hard, a few balls found holes, but you know what, they had a great game plan and they swung the balls well against me. Like I said, two-strike hits will kill you, and that's what happened to me today."

Mattingly said he wasn't troubled by Kershaw's outburst.

"Same as always with Kersh, he doesn't never want to come out," said Mattingly, who sent up Austin Barnes to pinch-hit for Kerhsaw in the bottom of the fifth. "For me there, we just had to try to score. We're down three runs. He's got to be around 80 pitches there or close to it, so he was going to pitch one more inning. We had to try to score.

"I've seen him like that before, and I've talked about it numerous times with different guys. It never bothers me. None of that stuff. Guys being competitive, wanting to stay in the game, it never bothers me."

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Center fielder Chris Heisey's grand slam highlighted a six-run rally in the fifth that made a winner of Kershaw.

The Dodgers, who split the four-game series with Arizona, reduced their magic number for clinching their third consecutive National League West title to four. The number could drop to three if the San Francisco Giants fall to the San Diego Padres later Thursday.

"It was nice to finally feel like I've contributed," said Heisey, who was batting .163 entering the contest and has experienced several stints this season with the Dodgers (87-65). "I was saying earlier how the Dodgers went out and got me this offseason and I haven't played well. It's been frustrating, but it's nice to finally help the team get a win."

Closer Kenley Jansen worked a perfect ninth for his 34th save in 36 opportunities.

The Diamondbacks (73-80) lost for the third time in five games.

Arizona starter Patrick Corbin started strong but unraveled in the fifth, sparking the Dodgers' comeback. Corbin (6-5) surrendered four runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. His four-game road winning streak ended.

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"We didn't make the pitches we needed to," Arizona manager Chip Hale said.

Left fielder Yasmany Tomas singled home first baseman Paul Goldschmidt in the second for a 1-0 Arizona lead.

In the third, Goldschmidt's RBI single to left drove in second baseman Aaron Hill to make it 2-0.

Third baseman Brandon Drury stroked a solo home run to left off Kershaw to open the fourth for a 3-0 cushion. It was Drury's second career homer, both of them coming this week against the Dodgers.

However, Los Angeles rallied in the fifth. With the bases loaded, second baseman Howie Kendrick's run-scoring single scored left fielder Justin Ruggiano and shortstop Jimmy Rollins to cut Arizona's lead to 3-2.

After catcher A.J. Ellis walked to load the bases again, Heisey hit his slam to left off reliever Andrew Chafin for a three-run advantage. It was Heisey's first home run this season and his second career slam. His other occurred against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 13, 2014, when he was a member of the Cincinnati Reds.

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Heisey waited for an off-speed pitch from Chafin.

"I was hoping to catch one before it broke," Heisey said. "Fortunately, he left it up and I was able to do exactly what I had hoped to do, but more importantly, to give us the lead."

NOTES: Dodgers 3B Justin Turner returned to the starting lineup after sitting out the past four games with a sore knee. Turner went 1-for-2 with a walk. ... The Diamondbacks entered the contest tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for the highest career batting average (.228) against LHP Clayton Kershaw. ... Both clubs resume play Friday on the road. The Dodgers will start RHP Mike Bolsinger (6-4, 3.26 ERA) against RHP David Hale (4-5, 6.32) and the Colorado Rockies, while RHP Rubby De La Rosa (13-8, 4.60) and the Diamondbacks will face RHP Casey Kelly (0-0, 4.50) and the San Diego Padres.

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