Dodgers go old school: Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp keys to 3-1 win

It was a flashback victory for the Dodgers, a trip down memory lane. All the way back to last season.

That was when they too often seemed a team built completely around two superstars -- outfielder Matt Kemp and left-hander Clayton Kershaw.

Now they are the new and improved Dodgers, at least in theory, a more complete and well-rounded team.

But on Saturday night it was back to the Kemp and Kershaw Show in the Dodgers’ 3-1 victory over the Cubs before an announced crowd of 46,588 at Dodger Stadium that kept them a half-game back of the Giants in the National League West standings.

Kershaw (9-6) went seven strong innings, holding the Cubs -- losers of four consecutive games -- to one run on only three hits. He walked two and struck out seven.

The only run he gave up came in the fourth, after Darwin Barney singled and was doubled home by Alfonso Soriano.

But Kemp quickly gave Kershaw back the lead in the bottom of the inning after Mark Ellis led off with a single. Kemp followed with a two-run homer, his drive bouncing off the glove of center fielder Joe Mather as he leapt at the wall. The ball may not have gone over the wall if it had not glanced off Mather’s glove.

As it was, it went for Kemp’s 16th home run of the season.

The Dodgers, however, could do nothing else with Cubs starter Chris Volstad, who entered the game 0-7 with a 7.94 earned-run average. Twice Volstad has been demoted this season. Saturday marked his first start since his latest call-up.

Volstad went seven solid innings, giving up the two runs on six hits and a walk.

The Dodgers added an unearned run in the eighth inning behind a pair of new Dodgers. Shane Victorino doubled and scored when shortstop Starlin Castro could not come up with Hanley Ramirez’s hard-hit grounder. Castro was charged with an error.

Ronald Belisario followed Kershaw with a perfect eighth inning, and Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 21st save.

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