Cards, silenced by Dodgers rookie, get Kershaw next

Maybe the Los Angeles Dodgers were right not to give away the farm at the July 31 trade deadline.

After all, their top prospects just keep paying off for the big club when they get their shot in the majors.

Rookie right-hander Tony Gonsolin pitched six scoreless innings in his Dodger Stadium debut Monday night, allowing only two hits in an 8-0 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a three-game series.

Whether it's been Gonsolin, Dustin May, Will Smith, Alex Verdugo, Matt Beaty, Kyle Garlick or Edwin Rios, the youngsters have delivered when called upon for the Dodgers, who have a major league best 75 victories this season.

"In a major league clubhouse, the words 'prospects' -- I don't care. We want to win," Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw told MLB.com last week. "Then you see the guys come up and, oh man, they can help us win big league games. That does something for me."

The left-handed Kershaw (10-2, 2.85 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday against Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas (7-11, 4.00).

In his last start, an 8-2 victory against San Diego last Thursday, Kershaw surpassed Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax for third on the Dodgers' all-time strikeout list. He trails only Don Sutton and Don Drysdale, another pair of Hall of Famers.

Kershaw allowed two runs on six hits in six innings, but was miffed by his lack of control. He walked a season-high five batters.

"I heard the crowd (give an ovation after the strikeout that passed Koufax), but I was a little bit frustrated with myself at the time," Kershaw told MLB.com. "I have the ball right here. It's really cool, any time you get mentioned in the same breath as Sandy. He wouldn't be proud of this one, though. Thankful I got through six. Can't even talk about it, I was so bad."

Kershaw, who had a streak of eight straight seasons with double-digit victories snapped last season, has pitched at least six innings in each of his 19 appearances this year, with 16 quality starts.

And he's been unbeatable at home, going 7-0 with a 2.35 ERA.

In 17 career starts against the Cardinals, Kershaw is 7-5 with a 3.07 ERA.

Mikolas defeated the Dodgers 4-3 on April 8 in St. Louis in his only previous start against them. He allowed three runs on five hits in six innings, with one walk and three strikeouts.

Mikolas has alternated losses and wins in his past five starts. He suffered a 2-0 defeat last Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs despite allowing only one unearned run in 5 2/3 innings.

The Cardinals have lost three straight games to drop 2 1/2 games behind the National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs.

But like Kershaw, Mikolas defended St. Louis' lack of moves at the trade deadline.

"I think we have more than enough (talent)," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I don't think we need anybody at all. I think our best baseball is ahead of us.

"We're going to be a lot of trouble down the stretch, that's for sure."

--Field Level Media