Kershaw, Dodgers beat Rockies 6-1 for 111th victory

By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers finished with their 111th victory to become the National League’s winningest team in more than a century, and Clayton Kershaw tuned up for the postseason with nine strikeouts in beating the Colorado Rockies 6-1 Wednesday.

Trea Turner hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the fifth inning for the NL West champions, who finished 111-51 to become the NL’s winningest team since the 1906 Chicago Cubs went 116-36.

Kershaw reached 2,807 career strikeouts. He allowed one run and one hit in five innings and walked one as the Dodgers ended a three-game skid.

The Dodgers have already clinched the overall No. 1 seed in the postseason and will have home-field advantage throughout. They open the Division Series on Oct. 11 against the New York Mets or San Diego.

The Rockies were held to two hits for the fourth time this season and finished 68-94, equaling their most losses since 2015. They were even worse than their mark of 74-87 in 2021.

There was drama within an otherwise meaningless game.

Freddie Freeman made a run at overtaking Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets for the NL batting title. Needing to go 4 for 4 to catch McNeil, Freeman doubled and homered in his first two at-bats, but a flyout to the warning track in center field in the fifth.

Freeman hit .325 for the season; McNeil finished at .326 after being held out of the Mets’ rain-delayed finale against Washington.

Freeman finished with 199 base hits and 100 RBIs. Turner also totaled 100 RBIs, making them the first Dodgers teammates to reach that mark since Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp in 2009.

Freeman’s 393-foot drive to left tied the game 1-all with two outs in the third. He singled in a run in the seventh.

Turner’s three-run shot to right-center chased Chad Smith (0-1) and gave the Dodgers a 4-1 lead. It snapped an 0-for-5 skid for Turner, who added a single in the seventh to boost a batting average that had dropped in recent weeks.

Cody Bellinger added a solo shot leading off the seventh against Noah Davis, who was making his major league debut.

Colorado’s Ezequiel Tovar hit his first major league homer with two outs in the second.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: OF Chris Taylor (neck) worked in the batting cage. “I’m expecting him to be on the postseason roster,” manager Dave Roberts said. … RHP Blake Treinen (right shoulder tightness) and RHP Dustin May (lower back tightness) had simulated games. Treinen faced three hitters and will do so again in a few days. May threw two up-and-down innings and Roberts called it “very encouraging.”

THROUGH THE TURNSTILES

The Dodgers drew 3,861,092 fans at home this season, second-highest in team history. Only the 3,974,309 in 2019 was better, and that was the last season before COVID-19 restrictions were in place.

UP NEXT

Rockies: Open spring training against Arizona on Feb. 25.

Dodgers: Have five days off before the Division Series at home Tuesday against either the New York Mets or San Diego Padres.

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