Kershaw stars as LA Dodgers down San Francisco Giants

Clayton Kershaw stole the show as the Los Angeles Dodgers wrapped up their sixth divisional title in 10 years with an emphatic 8-0 rout over reigning World Series champions the San Francisco Giants.

Pitching star Kershaw claimed 13 strike outs and only one hit as the Dodgers romped past their fierce divisional rivals to silence the home crowd at AT&T Park crowd and clinch the National League West.

It was the third consecutive divisional crown for the Dodgers, who will now be dreaming of their first World Series title since 1988.

Enrique Hernandez, Justin Ruggiano and A.J. Ellis all smacked home runs for the Dodgers while pitcher Clayton Kershaw won his personal duel with Giants star Madison Bumgarner.

Kershaw never gave the Giants batting line-up a hint of an opening as the Dodgers set up a best-of-five playoff series next Friday against the New York Mets of the National League East.

The Giants loss ended their bid for consecutive World Series championships, and continued a pattern of failure after championship winning seasons.

The Giants World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014 were all followed by seasons where they failed to reach the play-offs.

Kershaw's 16-7 pitching masterclass was the first time he had outperformed Bumgarner in eight attempts this year.

His 13 strike outs put him at 294 for the season, leaving him well on target to reach 300 strike outs in a season for the first time in his career.
Source: AFP