Dodgers look to Clayton Kershaw to save free-falling pitching staff

LOS ANGELES — Adrian Gonzalez, the Los Angeles Dodgers first basemen, needed no time to ponder the solution.

The problem: In a matter of 48 hours, the Dodgers went from surging to a 2-1 lead over the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series to stumbling to a 3-2 deficit. Went from a team that held the Cubs scoreless in back-to-back games to one that gave up 18 runs and all the momentum in the past two games.

“We can grab the momentum by one name,’’ Gonzalez said. “Kershaw.’’

Clayton Kershaw, of course.

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Kershaw was nowhere to be seen in the Dodgers clubhouse after their 8-4 loss to the Cubs in Game 5 Thursday night. But his name was being uttered by his teammates, with the reverential tone reserved for superheroes.

Kershaw, the three-time Cy Young Award winner, is scheduled to start Saturday when the Dodgers play in Game 6.

“Anytime you have Kershaw on the mound you’re confident,’’ Dodgers reliever Ross Stripling said. “It’s easy to look ahead toward Game 7, I guess, but we can’t do it yet.’’

Well then, allow us. To look ahead. To look past Kershaw and a Game 6 victory for the Dodgers, in fact.

To look past even Rich Hill, probable Game 7 starter for the Dodgers who threw six shutout innings in the Dodgers’ 6-0 victory in Game 3.  To look one step further, to the big problem: the Dodgers pitching staff.

With the exception of Kershaw, Hill and closer Kenley Jansen, it suddenly looks to be in shambles.

Before Game 5 on Thursday, Stripling said, the Dodgers pitchers reviewed the 13 hits they surrendered to the Cubs in a 10-2 loss in Game 4 and saw the pattern — too many pitches thrown down the middle.

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“So we came together today and we said, ‘Just trust the scouting and we’re not going to make middle-middle mistakes all the time,’ ” said Stripling, who gave up five runs and four hits in one third of an inning in Game 4. “Pitch to your spots. Focus on hitting your spots and you should be able to get outs.’ ’’

And so? The Dodgers pitchers give up another 13 hits. While the Cubs still have their Billy Goat curse, the Dodgers have their own goat — reliever Joe Blanton, who has been the pitcher of record in two of the three Dodgers losses during the NLCS.

Stripling seemed baffled by it all, especially with Blanton giving up the go-ahead runs Thursday night on Addison Russell’s two-run homer and the go-ahead runs in Game 1 on a grand slam.

“Joe Blanton has hung two sliders and both have been hit over the fence,’’ Stripling said. “That’s not normally what he does. We trust him against anybody and we certainly don’t expect that to keep happening for any of us.’’

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Psychologically, the Dodgers have options.

Option one: Denial. This appears to be the choice of Jansen, who acted perplexed by the idea the Dodgers pitchers have struggled the past two games.

“Nobody’s struggled, man,’’ he said. “It’s just two bad games, that’s it. All we’ve got to do is get Game 6.’’

Option No. 2: Acceptance. Stripling opted for that, acknowledging what has transpired over the past two games and what potentially awaits the Dodgers relievers if Kershaw quiets the Cubs in Game 6, forces Game 7 and gives Hill, on four days rest, a chance to pitch perhaps seven innings before the inevitable.

The inevitable being that Kershaw, Jansen and Hill can get the Dodgers only so far.

“Obviously,’’ Stripling said, “they’re going to keep using us.’’

The fact of the matter is, the Dodgers have no choice.

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