ERST LESEN! » that have been around for a while, Miller said.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Clayton Kershaw was asked to assess his performance against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night, and the Dodgers ace bemoaned the fact that he didnt have command of his fastball. Maybe if he did, hed have tossed another no-hitter. Kershaw still managed to follow his first career no-no by going eight marvelous innings, and Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Ethier drove in a run apiece as the Dodgers scraped out a 2-0 victory. "It definitely wasnt easy tonight," Kershaw said. It only looked that way. "All night he felt like he was fighting it," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly explained. "His fastball command wasnt where he wanted it, but typical Clayton." Kershaw (8-2) allowed six hits and a walk while striking out eight. The two-time Cy Young winner hasnt allowed a run in 21 1-3 innings, spanning his near-perfect game against Colorado on Wednesday -- the only runner occurred on an error -- and his previous start against Arizona. Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his 23rd save. Danny Duffy (4-7) dueled admirably with Kershaw for six innings, allowing one run on four hits and four walks. But the left-hander was done in by a high pitch count, needing a season-high 105, and was eventually lifted to protect his surgically repaired shoulder. Eric Hosmer had a pair of hits for the Royals, the first with one out in the first inning to end any thought of Kershaw tossing consecutive no-hitters. Otherwise, their offence was sporadic, unable to string together enough runners to pose much of a threat. "Hes as good as advertised, thats for sure, every bit of it," Hosmer said. "Hes definitely got his game plan, which he sticks to the whole time. Hes got four well-above average pitches. The main thing about him is he gets ahead and attacks you early. Thats a guy you dont want to get behind on with great off-speed and a fastball that he can hump to 95, 96. Luckily, thats the last time we face him." The Dodgers plated their first run after Justin Turner tripled to lead off the game. He scored on a hard grounder by Gonzalez, which deflected off Duffy and toward second base for what nearly ended up being the games only run. Ethiers RBI single came off reliever Kelvin Herrera in the ninth inning. Duffy needed 29 pitches to survive the first, and he wiggled out of jams each of the next four innings, too. But while he was gritty enough to keep Kansas City in the game, a lineup that has struggled to put up runs for the last week failed him again. Kansas City has only scored 13 times while losing five of its last six. Los Angeles had lost all four of its games played at Kauffman Stadium, including the series opener Monday night, when the Royals beat up on Zack Greinke, their former ace. They had a much tougher time handling Kershaw. Showcasing his mid-90s fastball, power curveball and devastating slider, Kershaw at one point retired eight straight. And even when he ran into trouble, he slipped right out of it. Kershaw induced a double play after Hosmers single in the first. He rallied from a 3-0 count to Alex Gordon to strike him out with a runner aboard in the sixth. In the seventh, he got Justin Maxwell and Alcides Escobar on groundouts to leave a pair of runners on base. "Thats the best slider weve seen all year long," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "That thing had teeth with a bite." In fact, the biggest blight on Kershaws night may have been his walk to Gordon in the fifth inning. It was only the second hed allowed to a left-handed hitter this season. "I made some pitches when I had to," Kershaw said. "Tonight I was making a lot more stressful pitches. The no-hitter was stressful for more personal reasons." NOTES: Dodgers SS Hanley Ramirez (sore right shoulder) was scratched from the starting lineup. "Hopefully well have him tomorrow," Mattingly said. ... The Royals activated LHP Bruce Chen (bulging disc) from the 60-day DL, optioned LHP Tim Collins to Triple-A Omaha and designated LHP Donnie Joseph for assignment. ... Dodgers RHP Dan Haren faces Royals RHP James Shields in Wednesday nights series finale. Ultra Boost 4.0 Canada . Dr. James Andrews is to operate next week on the 24-year-old pitcher, who made the AL All-Star team last year. Moore will be the first Rays pitcher to undergo Tommy John surgery since Jason Isringhausen in June 2009. y-3 Sale Canada . - Ronda Rousey realizes shes finishing up one of the biggest years for any fighter in the young history of mixed martial arts at UFC 168, and the UFCs bantamweight champion intends to go out on top. http://www.nmdshoescanada.com/ .J. - Henrik Lundqvist has done more than set a couple of franchise records for the New York Rangers this week. Ultra Boost Canada Sale . The 31-year-old, a two-time CFL lineman of the year, was among the most coveted free agents on the market. The Windsor, Ont., native will be especially important to a team that has lost veteran quarterback Anthony Calvillo to retirement and is expected to go with the less experienced Troy Smith and Tanner Marsh this season. Adidas Prophere Canada . He reps the 4-1-6The insecurity of Canadian basketball fans is not what it once was with the home grown talent making its way to the big leagues, but it is still nice to see the local kids remembering where they come from once they make their way south.Ryan Vogelsong hopes to add to his postseason legacy on Wednesday and pitch the San Francisco Giants to the brink of a National League pennant, as they continue the NLCS versus the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 at AT&T Park. Often overlooked on a staff that includes top-of-the-rotation guys like Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain, as well as Tim Hudson and former NL Cy Young Award winners Tim Lincecum and Jake Peavy, its been Vogelsong, though, who has been the driving force come postseason time. He was 3-0 in four starts during the Giants World Series title run in 2012 and with a terrific outing in the NLDS clincher over the Washington Nationals, Vogelsong became the only starting pitcher in MLB to allow one run or fewer in each of his first five career postseason starts (since 1903). In fact, Vogelsong is just the second pitcher in postseason history to have five consecutive starts of allowing one or fewer runs (Curt Schilling: 6 starts from Oct. 21, 1993 to Oct. 31, 2001). Hes also pitched to a 1.19 ERA in five postseason starts, with the Giants going 5-0 in those outings. Yeah, its the same. I mean, this time of year, I said this the last time, you cant replace the way it feels to pitch in the playoffs. You know, I said its what you play your whole life for -- growing up in the backyard, your whole Little League, high school, college, Minor Leagues -- to get into these situations. So they are all exciting. They all bring a little bit different emotion depending on the game and the situation. But they are all exciting and the fans here are electric all the time. So its going to be intense. Only Orlando Hernandez (0.97) has a lower postseason ERA through their first five postseason starts than Vogelsong. Vogelsong was only 8-13 during the regular season with a 4.00 ERA and is just 2-6 lifetime versus the Cardinals with a 6.17 ERA. However, he did beat the Cards twice in the 2012 NLCS and struck out 13 batters in 14 innings. San Francisco grabbed the upper hand in this series on Tuesday, as Brandon Crawford scored from second base on a throwing error by reliever Randy Choate in the 10th inning and the Giants eked out a 5-4 win in Game 3. Crawford went to second base on a single by Juan Perez, who was only swinging because he fouled off two bunt attempts. Choate (0-1) fielded Gregor Blancos bunt and threw wide to first base for an error, touching off a celebration for the Giants, who took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. It coulddnt have worked out better, said Giants manager Bruce Bochy.dddddddddddd Perez cant lay down a bunt and he gets a hit. Youre playing with house money at that point. Randal Grichuk had tied the game for St. Louis with a solo homer in the seventh as the Cardinals came close to building on their postseason narrative. All four of their wins have come after they either trailed or were tied going into the seventh inning, including Game 2 on Sunday when Kolten Wong hit a walk-off homer to earn a split in St. Louis. Weve just come to expect it, said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. Thats a good place to be when we get down. The Cardinals have hit 12 homers in seven playoff games after finishing last in the NL during the regular season with 105. The Giants have just two homers in eight playoff games. Getting the call for the Cardinals on Wednesday will be righty Shelby Miller, who has been among the best pitchers in baseball since the start of September. Miller was 2-0 with a 1.48 ERA in five starts down the stretch and was solid in his NL DS start against the Dodgers, in which he yielded two runs in 5 2/3 innings. Shelby has done a nice job all the way down the stretch, Matheny said, and his last start was one of his best. So were excited to watch him pitch. Miller likely wont have Yadier Molina behind the plate, as he continues to nurse an oblique injury. He is still listed as day-to-day, but either Tony Cruz or A.J. Pierzynski will get the call in his absence. A.J. and Tony are guys that have been around for a while, Miller said. Especially A.J. He knows a lot of these hitters, and same with Tony. I know Tony works a lot with Yadi on video. You trust in those guys, the same way you would with Yadi. Youve got to believe in those guys and how much they work, and (you have to know) that they are going to do their job. We as a team believe in those guys, too. San Francisco is 14-5 at home in the NLCS, the best winning percentage of any major league team with at least 10 games of LCS play. They are riding a four- game winning streak at AT&T Park in NLCS play and have won 13 of their past 16 at home dating to 1987. The Giants took four of their seven meetings during the season with the Cardinals, outscoring them, 30-20. San Francisco has played the Cardinals three other times in the playoffs. St. Louis edged the Giants in a thrilling seven-game series in 1987, but San Francisco has beaten the Cards both in 2002 and 2012. ' ' '