Vintage Clayton Kershaw lifts Dodgers over Braves

Vintage Clayton Kershaw lifts Dodgers over Braves

Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and third baseman 
Justin Turner point at outfielder Andre Ethier
after scoring on his two-run double in the fourth inning.

Before the Dodgers' 8-0 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, Clayton Kershaw had begun to take over more than just his scheduled start day. His ongoing struggles seemed to acquire their own spot in the rotation.

The day before each start, the theories would begin. Was something wrong with Kershaw? The next day he would start and the same question would be asked. The day after that would bring more questions about the imperfections from the previous game.

So Tuesday represented Kershaw's latest start day and another chance for theorizing. Manager Don Mattingly offered his latest hypotheses. Hitters were adjusting. Kershaw wasn't putting batters away. He'd gotten bad bounces.