Marlins 3, Dodgers 2: Clayton Kershaw good again, but not good enough

No Giancarlo Stanton, no problem for the Marlins against the Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers, as the Fish on Saturday prevailed 3-2.

The Dodgers actually struck first with a home run Justin Turner, because apparently that’s all he does now is hit the ball really hard. He finished 2-for-4 with that homer, his 11th. He was the only Dodger to record multiple hits against Tom Koehler, who threw seven innings of 2-run ball.

Kershaw was again good, but he gave up three runs — one of which was earned. He also struck out at least nine batters for the fifth consecutive start. He finished with this line: 7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, 101 pitches, 73 strikes, 7/0 GO/AO. Normally, that line would be good enough for the Dodgers to get a win, but it didn’t happen today. Silver lining: This was the first time since June 6 Kershaw didn’t allow a home run, so that’s good.

The three runs scored on two errors and a wild pitch. Both errors could have been avoided, as Turner didn’t come off the bag at third base to field a throw from Andre Ethier and Joc Pederson misplayed a line drive that popped out of his glove. This was uncharacteristic for a team 11th in FanGraphs’ defensive rating and sixth in UZR/150. But, those things happen.

Dee Gordon was a defensive star, as he teamed with Adeiny Hechavarria to turn a spectacular double play in the fourth inning. Gordon also robbed Ethier of at least a single just before that double play.

The Dodgers fall to 42-34 on the season. Zack Greinke (5-2, 1.70 ERA) gets the call for a Sunday morning game against 23-year-old Jose Urena (1-3, 4.34). First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. Pacific time. I don’t know about you, but I might not even be awake by that time.