Dodgers beat the Giants 7-4 to sweep the series

Los Angeles Dodgers #22 Clayton Kershaw (LHP) gave up five hits, four runs, one home run, and six strikeouts against the San Francisco Giants. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

LOS ANGELES, CA - Clayton Kershaw (7-2) was looking to pick up his eighth win of the season, pitched 4.1 innings, gave up five hits and four runs, one home run, and had six strikeouts as the Dodgers (64-30) beat the Giants (48-47) at Dodgers Stadium 7-4 to sweep the series.

Kershaw didn't get the win after allowing the Giants to tie the game 4-4 before being replaced by Yency Almonte in the top of the fifth inning. Alex Cobb (3-4), the starting pitcher for the Giants, went 5.2 innings giving up eight hits and four runs.

"I think we're playing really well," Kershaw said. "Obviously the way that you hit, the way that you pitch, you're going to have bad days every once in a while. But I think, for the most part, we just have good players. And that's what's showing right now. … I think this is probably what we're capable of."

Freddie Freeman continued with his hot hitting in the bottom of the first inning, hitting a single to the right field that scored Mookie Betts as the Dodgers led 1-0.

Alex Cobb had the bases loaded with two outs and was able to get out of the jam by getting Trayce Thompson to ground out to the Giants' second baseman Wilmer Flores.

Kershaw pitched himself into a jam in the top of the second inning, loaded the bases, and got out of it by getting Joey Bart to strike out.

In the top of the third inning, Kershaw had runners at second and third base with two outs. The Giants led 2-1 with an RBI single by Thairo Estrada and Darin Ruf, and Yermin Mercedes both came home to score.

The Dodgers tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the third inning when Jake Lamb doubled into center field, Gavin Lux hit a double to right field, and Lamb scored.

Los Angeles Dodgers #9 Gavin Lux (2B) slid across home plate to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

The Dodgers regained the lead 3-2 after Max Muncy doubled to right field and Lux scored in the bottom of the third inning. Trayce Thompson increased the Dodgers' lead to 4-2 after hitting a single to center field, and Muncy came home to score.

San Francisco Giants #33 Darin Ruf (1B) hit a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning tying the score 5-5 at Dodgers Stadium. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

The Giants tied the game 5-5 in the top of the fifth inning when Darin Ruf hit a two-run home run over the right-field fence.

Freeman doubled into the left field in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out in the inning. Lamb gave the lead back to the Dodgers 5-4 after hitting a double into right field, and Freeman scored.

Lux hit a single into center field, and Lamb came home to make the score 6-4 in favor of the Dodgers. Muncy scored to give the Dodgers a 7-4 lead after Thompson knocked him in with a double into right-center field.

The Dodgers bullpen kept the Giants scoreless, with Phil Bickford pitching in the 6th, Evan Phillips (5-3) getting the win 7th, Alex Vesia 8th, and Craig Kimbrel picking up his 17th save in the top of the ninth.

The Dodgers are playing great baseball during July with a record of 17-2, and the young players such as Lux, Lamb, and Thompson are making their presence felt.

"I think we're just playing really good team baseball," Lux said. "Everybody's pulling for each other. I think that's the biggest key, we're playing really good team baseball. We're doing the little things right, getting guys over, two-strike hitting, two-out RBIs, just little things that go a long way."

The Dodgers will start a three-game series on Monday against the Washington Nationals.