CLEVELAND — Clayton Kershaw wasn’t at his best, but still extended his unbeaten string.
CLEVELAND — Clayton Kershaw wasn’t at his best, but still extended his unbeaten string.
Cody Bellinger continued his outstanding rookie season with two home runs, including a tiebreaking shot in the eighth inning off Andrew Miller.
Kershaw and Bellinger combined to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-5 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.
Kershaw (9-2) allowed two runs in seven innings and has not lost in his last eight starts. The left-hander gave up a run in the third on Michael Brantley’s single and a leadoff homer to Roberto Perez in the fifth that tied the game.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner yielded six hits, struck out four and walked two while throwing 101 pitches. He is 5-0 with a 1.94 ERA since his most recent defeat on May 1.
“Tonight was not a great night for me,” Kershaw said. “My fastball was pretty erratic, and I was falling behind hitters.”
Indians manager Terry Francona did not meet with reporters after the game because he wasn’t feeling well, a team spokesman said. Bench coach Brad Mills took questions in his place. Francona left the dugout in the ninth inning but was still at the ballpark, the spokesman said.
Mills had no further information about Francona, who missed a game in Washington last season because of an illness but returned to the dugout the following day.
Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig made an obscene gesture at Cleveland fans after hitting a home run in the second inning. . After crossing home plate, he raised both middle fingers in the direction of fans seated in the dugout suites located on field level.
Puig said he was heckled in the on-deck circle, which is directly in front of those choice seats.
“People were talking to me before the home run, and they talked to me after the home run,” he said through a translator. “I stooped to their level. It happened suddenly. It came out. There’s nothing I can do about it. There were about four of them. They were pretty close there.”