Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw tossed a three-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts to beat the Mets 5-0 at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.
The superstar left-hander improved to 5-1 with a 1.74 ERA for the season. Kershaw needed just 109 pitches to cruise through the Mets' lineup and allowed just one extra-base hit — a double to Curtis Granderson in the sixth inning.
MORE: Greatest pitching performances in major league history
Kershaw registered a shutout with 10-plus strikeouts for the eighth time in his career. That's twice as many as any other pitcher since he entered the major leagues in 2008.
Kershaw also became the first pitcher in Dodgers history to strike out at least 10 batters in five straight starts. During the last calendar year, Kershaw has 322 strikeouts in 250 innings pitched with only 35 walks.
Leading the way for the Dodgers on offense was Chase Utley, who remains a hated man by Mets fans for his late slide into second base last year that injured Ruben Tejada during the playoffs. Utley went 3 for 4 with a solo home run and two runs scored.
Player of the Day
Odubel Herrera has been a revelation for the Phillies this season. Thursday, the 24-year-old center fielder went 4 for 4 with a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base to help Philadelphia beat Atlanta 7-4. He is now batting .339/.450/.460 for the year.
Highlight
Zack Greinke may be a pitcher, but he sure knows how to execute a proper bat flip:
#PitchersWhoBatFlip pic.twitter.com/qBH0YrO9Bz
— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) May 13, 2016
Three things to know
— After surrendering eight earned runs Thursday against the Red Sox, reigning AL MVP Dallas Keuchel has now allowed five-plus earned runs in four of his last five starts. He had three such outings all of last season. The eight earned runs are the second most he has given up in his career. He allowed nine earned runs in a start against the Rangers last year.
— Tigers outfielder Justin Upton made his first career start in center field Thursday. He last played the position in 2007 at Double-A Mobile when he was 19 years old.
— Yankees third baseman Chase Headley recorded his first extra-base hit of the season when he sent an offering by the Royals' Ian Kennedy into the seats in the second inning.
What's next
Pirates (18-15) at Cubs (25-8), 2:20 p.m. ET: Francisco Liriano (3-1, 3.60 ERA) will face off against Jason Hammel (4-0, 1.85 ERA), who, like last year, is off to a great start. Chicago will enter the series trying to rebound from a doubleheader loss to the Padres.
Blue Jays (18-18) at Rangers (20-15), 8:05 p.m. ET: Toronto has yet to reach the heights of last season, but the talent is there for them to go on a run. Texas will send Martin Perez (1-2, 3.51 ERA) to the mound a it tries to keep pace with streaking Seattle in the AL West.