ATLANTA — Clayton Kershaw, facing Atlanta for the first time since 2011, showed the Braves why he led the National League in ERA for three consecutive seasons and is potentially headed to his second Cy Young Award.
Kershaw struck out 12 over seven innings Thursday, and the Los Angeles Dodgers jumped on Braves starter Kris Medlen early en route to a 6-1 win in the opener of the National League Division Series before a less-than-capacity crowd of 43,021 at Turner Field.
“Any time you can get a couple runs with Kershaw pitching, you are in good shape,” said Adrian Gonzalez, who hit his first postseason homer. “He’s the best pitcher in baseball and he showed it.”
Kershaw allowed three singles and struck out nine of the last 11 batters he faced, including a streak of six in a row during one stretch. He walked three and departed after 124 pitches, allowing just a walk in his final three innings despite battling his fastball command most of the game.
“As the game goes on, he seems to get stronger and stronger,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.
It was the first postseason victory for Kershaw, who came in 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA over five appearances — two starts — in 2008 and 2009.
“It’s up there,” Kershaw said when asked where this game ranked. “It might be the best because it’s my first postseason win. … This one definitely has special meaning to me for sure.”
Kershaw’s ERA of 1.87 this year was the lowest for a major league starter since Pedro Martinez posted a 1.74 mark with the Boston Red Sox in 2000 and the left-hander is 51-23 over the past three regular seasons.
“He got his pitch count up, but we just could get anything going against him,” Braves catcher Brian McCann said.
“Strikeouts just kind of happen,” Kershaw said. “It’s not something I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to get outs as fast as possible.”
Gonzalez hit a two-run homer in the third inning as part of the Dodgers’ five-run assault on Medlen and was joined by Mark Ellis, Yasiel Puig and A.J. Ellis with two hits.
“The game came down to me,” Medlen said. “You can’t give Kershaw any room.”
Medlen didn’t look anything like the pitcher who didn’t allow an earned run over 13 2/3 innings in two starts against the Dodgers during the regular season or the one who was 5-0 with a 0.84 ERA in his past six starts, winning National League Pitcher of the Month for September.
After Medlen struck out the side in the first inning, the Dodgers broke through for two runs in the second, two more in the third and one in the fourth, staking Kershaw to an early cushion.
Medlen was pulled after giving up a leadoff single to Gonzalez and then hitting Puig in the fifth inning. Luis Ayala worked out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the Atlanta starter’s line from looking worse.
In four-plus innings, Medlen allowed five runs on nine hits, leaving after just 74 pitches.
“Just location, that’s the key to pitching,” McCann said of Medlen’s struggles. “He was just a little off.”
Puig and Juan Uribe singled with one out in the second inning, the aggressive Puig taking third base, and Skip Schumaker delivered a sacrifice fly for the first run. A.J. Ellis drove in the second run with a double that just eluded the diving Evan Gattis in left field.
Gonzalez made it 4-0 in the third, picking on a first-pitch changeup from Medlen and homering over the center field wall with two outs and Carl Crawford on base after a leadoff single.
“I almost let it go, knowing that he was sitting on it,” Medlen said. “It was a bad changeup and he’s one of the best hitters.”
In the fourth, the Dodgers again struck with two outs. Mark Ellis’ single drove in A.J. Ellis, who doubled for the second time.
The Braves’ run in the bottom of fourth made it 5-1 and also came with two outs. Chris Johnson delivered a single to score Freddie Freeman, who singled and moved up on a walk to Gattis.
“We’ve got a lot of guys out there maybe first time, second game in (the) postseason …,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “I think it took us about two or three innings to settle down a little bit.”
“The first game, it’s huge in a five-game series,” the Dodgers’ Gonzalez said. “Definitely put a lot of pressure on the other team there and it’s big for sure.”
NOTES: RHP Zack Greinke (15-4, 2.63 ERA) will start Game 2 for the Dodgers on Friday against Braves LHP Mike Minor (13-9, 3.21 ERA). … With Matt Kemp out for the postseason and Andre Ethier hobbled, Shumaker takes over center field for the Dodgers. Scott Van Slyke will be his backup. Mattingly said of Ethier: “He’s here to pinch-hit. You’re not going to see him in the outfield.” … The Braves won the regular-season series 5-2 over the Dodgers, sweeping a three-game set in Atlanta during mid-May. … Former Braves 3B Chipper Jones, who retired after the 2012 season, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Bobby Cox, who managed the Braves to 14 consecutive division titles, will do the honors for Game 2. … The start time for Sunday’s Game 3 in Los Angeles will be 8:07 p.m. ET, Major League Baseball announced Thursday.