Dodgers 3, Mets 1
NEW YORK -- Clayton Kershaw threw seven terrific innings on three days' rest Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers pushed the National League Division Series to the limit with a 3-1 win over the New York Mets in Game 4 at Citi Field.
The Dodgers evened the series at two games apiece. The decisive Game 5 will be played Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, where Los Angeles right-hander and Cy Young Award contender Zack Greinke will face the Mets' ace, All-Star right-hander Jacob deGrom.
The winner Thursday will advance to the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs, who eliminated the St. Louis Cardinals earlier Tuesday.
Kershaw, who lost Game 1 on Friday night, gave up one run on three hits and one walk while striking out eight Tuesday.
The left-hander recorded just his second win in 13 postseason appearances (10 starts). The three-time Cy Young Award winner lowered his playoff ERA to 4.59, and he emerged with a victory for the first time in three postseason starts when pitching on three days' rest.
Right-hander Chris Hatcher recorded the first two outs of the eighth before walking right fielder Curtis Granderson. Right-hander Kenley Jansen came on and walked third baseman David Wright before retiring second baseman Daniel Murphy on a fly to right. Jansen then struck out two in a perfect ninth to complete his second save of the series.
The Dodgers provided Kershaw all the offense he needed in the third inning, when first baseman Adrian Gonzalez blooped an RBI single immediately before third baseman Justin Turner laced a two-run double. Gonzalez has an RBI in each game of the series, and Turner is hitting .467.
Murphy homered in the fourth inning for the Mets.
Rookie left-hander Steven Matz allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four over five innings in his postseason debut.
Kershaw jump-started a three-run rally in the third, when he singled to left for the first hit by either team.
A slow grounder to second by center fielder Enrique Hernandez forced Kershaw, but Los Angeles followed with three consecutive hits in a nine-pitch span -- a single by second baseman Howie Kendrick, an RBI single by Gonzalez and a two-run double down the third base line by Turner -- to give Kershaw more runs than he had in either of his previous two Game 4 starts on short rest.
Kershaw settled down after a laborious 18-pitch first inning in which he went to a three-ball count on the first three batters. He threw 13 pitches in the second and 10 in the third before his no-hit bid was broken up by Murphy's one-out homer to right in the fourth.
NOTES: With six career starts under his belt, Mets LHP Steven Matz is the most inexperienced pitcher to start a playoff game in franchise history. He also made fewer major league appearances than any other pitcher in the playoffs this season. ... Mets INF Juan Uribe (chest) has yet to resume baseball activities. Uribe was injured diving for a ground ball on Sept. 20 and aggravated the ailment while swinging a bat five days later. ... Dodgers C Yasmani Grandal sustained a minor shoulder injury Monday but was available off the bench Tuesday. ... Los Angeles RF Yasiel Puig started for just the second time since Aug. 28. He missed most of the final month of the regular season due to a hamstring injury.