When Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw walked off the mound on Friday afternoon after the fifth inning he was absolutely furious – not at anyone or anything else but with himself. Even though he had struck out nine and had made 106 pitches, he had lasted only five innings – his second shortest outing of the season. And while any other pitcher in the game would be ecstatic with allowing only three earned runs on seven hits, Kershaw was very disappointed in himself – the difference between goodness and greatness.

“Obviously, you want to go eight or nine every time and be the reason why your team won,” said Kershaw after the Dodgers one-sided 14-5 win over the Cubs. “But sometimes your team does it for you and you just have to be out there. So that was the way it happened today, and I’ll take it.”

Take it indeed as it was Kershaw’s MLB-leading 20th win of the season. But Kershaw was still disappointed with himself for allowing those three runs which saw his ERA soar from 1.70 to 1.80 (sarcasm) – the difference between goodness and greatness.

Even when Kershaw had what he considered a bad outing he still managed to strikeout nine.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

As for his team doing it for him, they most certainly did – especially his battery mate A.J. Ellis, who slugged two Wrigley Field wind-assisted home runs before a packed house which included many Dodger fans.

“He always gives you good at-bats, but you’re starting to see the hits come along, too,” said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly of Ellis.

Kershaw also got help from right fielder Matt Kemp, who got things started with a three-run home run in the first inning and later a monster three-run shot by center fielder Yasiel Puig in the sixth inning that landed on Waveland Avenue, having cleared the left field bleachers.

Assisted by a hearty Wrigley Field breeze, Puig’s sixth-inning home run landed on Waveland Ave.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The win coupled with the Giants 5-0 loss to the Padres moved the Dodgers to 3.5 games ahead of their hated rivals and lowered their magic number to six to clinch their second consecutive NL West title with eight games remaining.

One of those eight games will have Clayton Kershaw on the mound against those same Giants, where Dodger fans will once again get to see the difference between goodness and greatness.