Kemp homers, Dodgers win again

Matt Kemp continued his long ball prowess and reigning NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw picked up his first victory of the year, as the Dodgers beat the Astros, 5-1, Saturday night.

Kemp belted his major league-leading ninth homer of the season, a two-run blast in the sixth inning. Houston native James Loney also went deep for the Dodgers, who moved to 12-3.

Kershaw (1-0), who allowed three hits and fanned nine over seven shutout innings, became the first Dodger to win nine straight decisions since Chad Billingsley went 9-0 in 12 games (11 starts) from Aug.30, 2008-May 3, 2009. The last loss for Kershaw came Aug. 7 at Arizona.

Andre Ethier hit a two-run single in the eighth inning. Kemp and Ethier lead the majors with 22 and 21 RBI, respectively. Kemp, who has hit safely in 14 of his 15 games this season including 10 in a row, became the fastest Dodger ever to reach nine homers.

Kyle Weiland (0-3) surrendered six hits and three runs while fanning six over seven innings.

J.D. Martinez knocked in the lone run for Houston, which lost for the sixth time in seven contests.

Loney homered to right with two outs in the second and Kemp made it 3-0 with two outs in the sixth. Dee Gordon, who had three hits, was aboard when Kemp drove a ball over the wall in center field.

Ethier's base hit to right plated Gordon and Adam Kennedy in the eighth before Martinez walked with the bases full in the bottom half. That came with one out, but Kenley Jansen recovered to retire Carlos Lee on a pop out and Jed Lowrie on a fly ball.

Game Notes

Los Angeles has won six in a row over Houston...Houston's Martinez and Jordan Schafer have both reached base safely in every game they've played this season. Schafer's 15-game run marks the longest on-base streak of his career and the longest by an Astro to begin a season since Craig Biggio began 2000 with a 17-game run. Martinez owns an active 14-game run of reaching base safely.