Kershaw pitched eight innings and allowed one run on just three hits, striking out eight and walking three in his final start as the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner. He finished the contest and the season with a major league-leading 2.53 ERA.
The Dodgers' offense came relatively late in the game, starting in the fifth inning when Kershaw helped his own cause with an RBI single that scored third baseman Luis Cruz. First basemen Adrian Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 15 games with an RBI single of his own in the sixth.
The game was put out of reach in the bottom of the eighth when Juan Rivera hit a three-run shot off reliever Jean Machi. Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong pitched five innings and struck out seven, allowing one run on two hits. Clay Hensley took the loss for San Francisco and moved to 4-5 to finish the season.
With a loss to the San Francisco Giants on Monday, the Los Angeles Dodgers were eliminated from contention for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. The St. Louis Cardinals gave L.A. an opportunity by falling to the Cincinnati Reds, but the Dodgers could not take advantage and will spend the rest of October at home.
The Giants head into the playoffs as the NL West champions. They will begin the division series on Saturday.
The Angels are four games behind the Oakland A's, Texas Rangers, and Baltimore Orioles for the last playoff spot, and will also stay home for the playoffs. The A's and Rangers are tied atop the AL West standings, and will face off for the division title on Wednesday afternoon.
The A's and Rangers can still tie the Yankees or Orioles for the best record in the American League and earn home-field advantage in the playoffs. Oakland, Texas, and Baltimore all have 93-68 records, with the Yankees at 94-67.
The Dodgers playoff hopes are dwindling, as they need to win out and have the Cardinals drop both of their remaining games with the Reds in order to qualify for a tiebreaker that would be played on Thursday in L.A.
Chris Capuano of the Los Angeles Dodgers takes on Barry Zito of the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers must win out to keep their wild card hopes alive, although they need the Cardinals to lose out too.
The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants, 3-2, thanks to an Elian Herrera game-winning hit, great pitching from Aaron Harang, and an Andre Ethier two-run home run.
Right-hander Aaron Harang will take the mound as the Los Angeles Dodgers will put up one last fight for their playoff lives in the opener of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium on Monday night.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will have to go through the San Francisco Giants if they want to see their playoff hopes realized in this season-ending three-game series.
