 was his usual dominant self on the mound, allowing one run and six hits and striking out eight. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP is 4-0 with a 1.43 ERA in 10 career starts against the Braves.He surprised the capacity crowd at SunTrust Park by doubling down the left-field line to put Los Angeles up 4-1 in the fourth. The inside-out swing that scored Matt Kemp and Chris Taylor didn't draw too loud of a reaction from the fans, but they had seen enough in the eighth when Kershaw walked for the third time. Atlanta reliever Jesse Biddle was showered with boos.Los Angeles has won two straight, improving its NL-best road record to 30-22. The Dodgers are 32-16 overall since June 1, tops in the NL over that span.The Braves have lost three straight and 12 of 17. They were in first place for all but two days from May 2-July 10, but the loss kept them 2 1/2 games behind Philadelphia in the NL East.Kershaw departed in the eighth with two runners on as closer Kenley Jansen got the last four outs to earn his 30th save in 33 chances. Freddie Freeman flew out to end the eighth, and Jansen faced the minimum in the ninth.Mike Foltynewicz (7-7) lost for the third time in his last four starts, giving up four runs, six hits and three walks and striking out eight in five innings. A first-time All-Star, Foltynewicz owns a 6.94 ERA and has allowed four homers in his last four outings.Alex Verdugo tied it at 1-all in the third with his second career homer. Foltynewicz, appearing upset with himself for giving up the lead, immediately walked Kershaw on five pitches and seemed agitated the rest of the night.Yasmani Grandal hit his 17th homer to begin the fourth and has a .389 average with six homers and 14 RBIs in 19 games this month. The Dodgers lead the NL with 142 homers, 101 of them solo shots.Kershaw worked out of trouble in the seventh. Nick Markakis singled and advanced to second when Kershaw hit Kurt Suzuki in the back with a pitch, but Johan Camargo struck out and Ender Inciarte lined into a double play.Atlanta led 1-0 in the second when Suzuki singled and scored on a groundout.TRAINER'S ROOMAfter missing 15 games with a right oblique strain, Dodgers RF Yasiel Puig arrived Friday in Atlanta and will return from the disabled list on Saturday. Manager Dave Roberts gave Puig the night off to spend time with his mother. Puig will likely be in Saturday's lineup, but Roberts added that the club will use a rotation going forward so that Puig, Kemp, Pederson and Alex Verdugo get enough rest. Roberts also gives Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez starts in the outfield, too.''I think if I can keep them fresh, they'll perform better, and if they're mad at me, they'll still perform better,'' Roberts said.Roberts added that LHP Julio Urias, nearly recovered from major shoulder surgery sidelined him over a year, will be used in relief when he returns next month. ... 3B Justin Turner did some lateral running and took some swings in batting practice. He's missed five games with a right groin strain.HE'S BACKLHP Jonny Venters, after three Tommy John procedures and four elbow surgeries overall, was back in a Braves uniform for the first time since 2012, pitching a scoreless sixth. The 33-year-old returned to the majors earlier this year with Tampa Bay, making his first appearance in six years. Atlanta acquired him in a trade Thursday night. Venters said his stuff isn't as dominant as it used to be, but he was delighted to get a chance to pitch for his old team just 15 miles from his family's home in Suwanee, Georgia.UP NEXTDodgers: LHP Alex Wood (6-5, 3.87 ERA) is 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in his last four starts.Braves: LHP Max Fried (1-3, 3.92) will come off the disabled list for the first time since July 5. Fried will face the Dodgers for the first time.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
Braves must face another lefty -- Dodgers' Kershaw 2h ago• 3 min read ATLANTA -- The last person the Atlanta Braves need to see on the mound is Los Angeles Dodgers southpaw Clayton Kershaw.But the left-hander will get the start Friday when the teams play the second game of a four-game series at SunTrust Park. Kershaw (3-5, 2.64 ERA) will be opposed by Atlanta right-hander Mike Foltynewicz (7-6, 2.85).It will be the third straight left-handed starter to face the Braves, who are 15-15 against southpaws.Kershaw has made nine career starts against Atlanta and is 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA. Atlanta batters are hitting just .210 against Kershaw. It will be his first appearance at SunTrust Park.Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman is hitting .273 in his career against Kershaw and is the only active Brave with a homer against the lefty. But Freeman has struck out 11 times in 22 at-bats against Kershaw.Atlanta was subdued by left-hander Ken Hill in the series opener on Thursday. Hill fired seven shutout innings in the 8-2 victory, and he improved to 5-0 in his career against the Braves.Kershaw will be making his 15th start of the season. Despite his poor record, he has posted a 1.09 WHIP and is averaging 9.15 strikeouts per nine innings.In his last start against Milwaukee on Saturday, Kershaw pitched six innings and gave up four runs, although only one was earned. He only threw 88 pitches and struck out five. The Dodgers lost the game 4-2 with a defensive meltdown, committing three errors."Kershaw threw the ball well," Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. "He had good fastball command. The curveball wasn't as sharp as it normally is, but the slider was good and, for me, he pitched well enough for us to win." Kershaw has battled injuries all season. He missed 21 games with left biceps tendinitis in May and missed 18 games with a lower back strain in June.Atlanta is hopeful that Foltynewicz will return to the form that enabled him to make the National League All-Star team. Over his last three starts, Foltynewicz has given up 14 runs in 18 1/3 innings, a 6.88 ERA.In his most recent start against Washington on Sunday, he gave up four runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. He threw 112 pitches, one shy of his season high.Foltynewicz has faced the Dodgers only once in his career, and that was last season, when he allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings and picked up the win in Atlanta's 6-3 victory.The Braves got second baseman Ozzie Albies back in the lineup Thursday. He had missed three games with a pulled right hamstring suffered in the first game following the All-Star break."I think we were confident that he checked all the boxes they wanted to see," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. "He went out and ran the bases today. We'll re-evaluate after the game and see where he's at." Albies struggled against the Dodgers pitchers in his return, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in an 8-2 loss.The Dodgers continue to lead the National League in home runs. Newly acquired Manny Machado on Thursday hit his first homer since joining the Dodgers via a trade from Baltimore.Los Angeles has 140 home runs, including a major-league-leading 99 solo shots. The Dodgers lead the league in home runs per game, home runs per at-bat, extra-base hits, slugging percentage and OPS.The Dodgers also got a piece of their bullpen back on Thursday when Pedro Baez was reinstated from the disabled list. The right-hander missed more than a month with right biceps tendinitis. He worked a scoreless inning of relief in a non-save situation to finish the series opener.On Thursday, the Braves acquired left-handed pitcher Jonny Venters from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for an international signing slot. Venters, 33, went 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 22 games, including one start, for Tampa Bay this season.
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