Clayton Kershaw outduels Max Scherzer as Dodgers beat Blue Jays 5-1

Clayton Kershaw outdueled fellow future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer on Friday night, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game set.

Mookie Betts powered the offense, launching a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth inning and driving in another run during a decisive three-run seventh. Shohei Ohtani added three hits and scored twice, helping the Dodgers bounce back after losing two of their previous three games.

Kershaw (6-2) worked six innings, giving up one run on seven hits with four strikeouts and one walk. Scherzer (2-2) matched him in innings but allowed two runs on six hits while striking out five and walking three.



The victory gave Kershaw his 218th career regular-season win, matching Scherzer’s total; both pitchers debuted in 2008.


Toronto struck first in the second inning when Bo Bichette doubled down the right-field line, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on Addison Barger’s RBI single through a drawn-in infield.


In the fifth, Ohtani’s two-out ground-rule double set the stage for Betts, who sent the next pitch into the left-field seats for a 2-1 Dodgers lead.

The game broke open in the seventh after Alex Freeland drew a leadoff walk and Ohtani reached on a deflection by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Betts’ grounder to short allowed Freeland to score, Freeman walked to load the bases, and Will Smith drew a walk to force in another run. Teoscar Hernández capped the rally with a sacrifice fly.

The Dodgers’ bullpen - Anthony Banda, Ben Casparius, and Blake Treinen - shut down the Jays over the final three innings, ending Toronto’s three-game winning streak despite a three-hit effort from Daulton Varsho.