Dodgers 3, Angels 1
LOS ANGELES -- Left-hander Clayton Kershaw extended his streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 37 while leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday in front of 52,979 at Dodger Stadium.
Kershaw (9-6) retired the final 14 batters, permitted only two hits and a walk, and finished with seven strikeouts in eight innings.
The left-hander took the mound in the top of the ninth inning to an ovation, but was replaced by right-handed closer Kenley Jansen when C.J. Cron was announced as a pinch hitter.
With Jansen pitching, the Angels ended the shutout and brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate.
David Murphy, batting for Cron, lined a single to right field and pinch-hitter Kole Calhoun followed with a walk.
Jansen struck out second baseman Johnny Giavotella and center fielder Mike Trout before first baseman Albert Pujols dumped a broken-bat single down the left-field line to bring Murphy home and send Calhoun to third base.
But Jansen induced shortstop Erick Aybar to pop out to register his 19th save.
Catcher Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run home run and finished 3-for-4.
The Angels lost their fifth consecutive game to match their longest losing streak this year.
The Dodgers took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Second baseman Howie Kendrick began the inning with a single, took third base on first baseman Adrian Gonzalez's single and scored on left fielder Scott Van Slyke's sacrifice fly to the warning track in left field.
After right-hander Fernando Salas replaced left-hander Andrew Heaney, the Angels' starter, Grandal propelled Salas' 83 mph slider over the center-field fence for his 15th home run of the season.
Heaney (5-1) allowed two runs, two walks and two hits while striking out three in 5 1/3 innings.
The Dodgers loaded the bases in the bottom of the second with two out, yet failed to score.
Right fielder Yasiel Puig walked with one out and moved to third when Grandal singled to left field. One out later, center fielder Enrique Hernandez walked, but Kershaw grounded out to end the inning.
After Puig walked, Angels manager Mike Scioscia was ejected by plate umpire Chris Segal for arguing balls and strikes. The final pitch to Puig was a 92 mph fastball that straddled the outside corner.
NOTES: Saturday marked the first time in major-league history in which two defending most valuable players from each league faced each other, with Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw going against Angels CF Mike Trout. ... Trout tied a major-league record for playing the fewest games in a month while hitting at least 12 home runs. Trout hit 12 homers in 21 games during July. The Baltimore Orioles' Boog Powell and the San Francisco Giants' Barry Bonds did likewise in June 1964 and September 2001, respectively. ... The Dodgers entered Saturday's game leading the National League with 127 home runs ... Dodgers RHP Mat Latos, acquired from the Miami Marlins in a 13-player trade also involving the Atlanta Braves, will make his team debut Sunday.