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Clayton Kershaw picks up 10th win in Los Angeles Dodgers' 3-2 victory

By Jack Magruder, The Sports Xchange
Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw. Photo by Lori Shepler/UPI
Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw. Photo by Lori Shepler/UPI | License Photo

PHOENIX -- Los Angeles left-hander Clayton Kershaw huffed and he puffed, and he blew another opponent's house down Wednesday.

An animated Kershaw gave up five hits and two runs in 7 1/3 innings, and Scott Van Slyke provided all the support he needed with a three-run homer in the Dodgers' 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

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"I was too emotional today," Kershaw said.

"I was hopped up. I was screaming and jumping. It doesn't look good, and I try not to do it. Emotions get the best of you at times. Today I was a little too animated even for my liking. I need to calm myself down more."

It did not seem to affect his effectiveness.

Kershaw (10-1) gave up five hits, including a second-inning homer by Rickie Weeks Jr., while tying the Chicago Cubs' Jake Arrieta, Washington's Stephen Strasburg and the Chicago White Sox's Chris Sale for the major league lead in victories.

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Kershaw struck out 11 and walked one, adding to his remarkable ratio. He leads the majors with 133 strikeouts and has walked seven.

"I really don't look at numbers too often, but when you look at that in context it baffles you and it's kind of cartoonish," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Kershaw, who has finished in the top three in the NL Cy Young voting each of the last five years, has walked no more than one batter in 17 straight starts -- the longest streak in Dodgers history since at least 1913.

"He's got superior stuff," Arizona manager Chip Hale said. "He's going to get his strikeouts. We battled him as best we could."

Closer Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth inning for his 19th save of the season and the 161st of his career, tying former NL Cy Young winner Eric Gagne for the franchise record.

Van Slyke homered on a 1-0 fastball from Patrick Corbin (3-6) after Adrian Gonzalez and Howie Kendrick singled with two outs in the sixth inning for a 3-1 lead.

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Van Slyke, who also doubled, has played only 13 games this season. He was reinstated from the disabled list June 3 after missing two months with lower back soreness.

"The first at bat I was 2-1 on him and I took a fastball in," Van Slyke said. "I was (upset) at that. I'm looking for a ball I can drive off a lefty and to take a pitch like that is kind of a bummer.

"So I was looking for that that third at bat, something to pull and he gave it to me."

Kendrick also had two hits for the Dodgers (35-32), who had won one of their previous four.

Weeks had two hits and Paul Goldschmidt had an RBI single as the Diamondbacks (29-39) lost their second in a row after winning three straight.

Goldschmidt came within a foot of tying the game in the sixth inning, when his line drive off Kershaw with a runner on second hit high off the left field fence. It drove in a run to make it 3-2, but an umpire review upheld the ruling on the field that the ball did not leave the park.

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Goldschmidt has a 10-game hitting streak and has reached base in 20 straight games. He is hitting .382 since May 27.

Corbin gave up three runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked three.

Weeks hit an 0-1 fastball into the left field stands leading off the second inning for a 1-0 lead.

Weeks also had a hustle double on a line drive to right-center field in the fourth and is 7-for-20 with five doubles and one homer against Kershaw in his career.

"He's a competitor, and so am I," Weeks said.

Kershaw had a 4-7 record and a 3.90 ERA in 11 appearances at Chase Field. He has not lost more than three games at any other road park.

"I think I've had two really bad ones, but other than that I don't consider (Chase Field) a bad place to pitch or anything like that, Kershaw said. "I've had a couple of clunkers, for sure."

NOTES: Dodgers 1B Adrian Gonzalez was 1-for-3 with a single and a walk while hitting fifth for the first time since July 19, 2014. He struck out four times Tuesday and was 6-for-44 in June before the game. ... Dodgers RHP Kenta Maeda remains on track to make his next scheduled start Sunday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Maeda was forced out of Tuesday's game after taking a line drive off his lower right leg in the sixth inning. "Swelling down, weight-bearing, all that stuff," Roberts said. "We're encouraged about him making his next start." ... Arizona recalled LHP Andrew Chafin on Wednesday after optioning LHP Zac Curtis to Double-A Mobile following Tuesday's game. ... Arizona will remain in rotation after an off day Thursday, with LHP Robbie Ray, RHP Zack Greinke and RHP Archie Bradley starting the first three days of a wraparound series in Philadelphia. ... Diamondbacks RHP Shelby Miller is expected to return from the disabled list to start Monday. Miller gave up one earned run in 12 innings of two rehab starts while striking out 19.

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