The Los Angeles Dodgers needed Clayton Kershaw back in their starting rotation, and needed big hits with their postseason chances running out.
They had both Sunday night in Cincinnati, and picked up an important 5-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds thanks to Kershaw's pitching and two home runs from Adrian Gonzalez.
Kershaw, back from a hip injury that kept him from pitching since Sept. 11, threw five innings and allowed only one run on five hits. He also walked five. Gonzalez, a middle-of-the-order bat who hadn't homered since his debut game with the Dodgers last month, hit solo shots in the third and seventh innings as Los Angeles remained three games back of the last Wild Card spot.
The Dodgers (79-74) trail the current Wild Card spot holders, the St. Louis Cardinals, by three games and the surging Milwaukee Brewers by half a game with nine games left in the regular season.
Brandon League got the save for L.A., his 14th. Denis Phipps homered for the NL Central winners. Shawn Tolleson (3-1) got the win in relief for the Dodgers.
This story was originally published on Baseball Nation.
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