NEW YORK (AP) — After struggling for much of the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are cruising when it comes to postseason honors.

Clayton Kershaw won his first NL Cy Young Award on Thursday, adding to the Gold Glove he won as the Dodgers collected three fielding awards in one year for the first time.

“I always dreamed about playing in the big leagues. I never dreamed about doing anything special in the big leagues. I don’t think any kid ever does,” Kershaw said. “The people I’m now associated with, just by having this award, is something that I never thought would ever happen.”

Kershaw received 27 of 32 first-place votes and 207 points in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay, last year’s winner, was second with four first-place votes and 133 points. Phillies teammate Cliff Lee was third with 90 points, followed by Arizona’s Ian Kennedy with 76 points.

With a big curveball that might be the best in baseball, Kershaw won the NL’s pitching triple crown. On a team that went 82-79, he led the league with a 2.28 ERA and 248 strikeouts and with a 21-5 record tied Kennedy for most wins.

The 23-year-old left-hander, whose previous high for victories was 13 in 2010, dominated the league during the final two months of the season, going 8-0 with a 0.96 ERA in his final nine starts.

Kershaw was 5-0 against the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants, going 4-0 with a 0.30 ERA in head-to-head matchups with Tim Lincecum, the 2008 and 2009 winner.

Orel Hershiser, who won the 1988 Cy Young for the Dodgers, said Kershaw moved from “good to great.”

“He’s just scratching the surface of what he can become and I know he can reach much higher limits,” Hershiser said.

Kershaw’s .207 opponents’ batting average was the second-lowest in the major leagues among qualified pitchers, trailing only Detroit’s Justin Verlander (.192), the unanimous AL Cy Young winner. Kershaw was especially effective at Dodger Stadium, where he went 12-1 with the lowest home ERA in the big leagues at 1.69.

Los Angeles has a chance to sweep the two major NL awards. Matt Kemp is a favorite to win the MVP, which will be announced Tuesday.

It was the 10th Cy Young won by the Dodgers, following Don Newcombe (1956), Don Drysdale (1962), Sandy Koufax (1963, 1965 and 1966), Mike Marshall (1974), Fernando Valenzuela (1981), Hershiser and Eric Gagne (2003).

Kershaw doesn’t agree with comparisons to Koufax, the greatest left-handed in Dodgers history.

“I’m still uncomfortable with it,” he said. “I don’t want to have any disrespect for Mr. Koufax. He did it for a long time. He won a lot of awards and he won World Series. He threw no-hitters. Just a lot of things I’m not anywhere close to accomplishing yet. I have tremendous respect for him and would never want to ever put myself in the same category as him.”

A bargain with a $500,000 salary, Kershaw did not have a bonus provision. Halladay won $75,000 for finishing second and Lee $50,000 for finishing third.

A Dallas native who still lives in Texas, Kershaw said he comes from an area where “football is king.”

Still, if kids want to emulate him, they can play baseball in the springtime.

“Anything to stay away from lacrosse, in my opinion,” he said, laughing.

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The team, beset by financial problems and a bitter divorce for owner Frank McCourt, saw its average attendance fall 18 percent to 36,236 this season and failed to draw 3 million in a non-strike year for the first time since 1992.

Among the benefits the team will offer season-ticket holders is the chance to enter the stadium one hour before the general public to watch batting practice and to play catch on the field after select games.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Los Angeles Dodgers had a rough season, from a bankruptcy filing and owner Frank McCourt’s troubles to missing the playoffs.

But with the seasons Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw had, not to mention a late-season surge, there is a bit of hope rising out of Chavez Ravine.

Kemp hit a two-run homer to become the first Dodger in 70 years to lead the NL in home runs and RBIs, and Los Angeles closed out a complicated season with a 7-5 win over the playoff-bound Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night.

“A lot of good stuff has happened over the course of the season with the negative of not winning enough games,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “Some of the young guys getting a chance to play is going to be, hopefully, a building block for next year, a little jump start.”

Los Angeles has a good foundation.

Kemp had one of the best seasons in team history and is a leading candidate for MVP honors after passing Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder with his 39 homers and leading the NL with 126 RBIs – second-most in Los Angeles Dodgers history to Tommy Davis’ 153 in 1962.

He became the first Dodger to lead the league in homers and RBIs since Dolph Camilli’s MVP season in 1941. He led the league in runs and finished third in batting at .324. Kemp also became the 13th player in major league history – and the first Dodger – with 30 homers and 40 steals.

“It would be pretty special,” Kemp said of winning the MVP. “It doesn’t happen all the time, so for me to even be in this position is a blessing.”

Kershaw has a good shot at the NL Cy Young Award, too, after leading the league with a 2.25 ERA and 248 strikeouts while matching Arizona’s Ian Kennedy for most wins with 21.

Dodgers infielder Eugenio Velez also made history, but not in a good way. He grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning to set a modern-day record for non-pitchers with his 46th straight hitless at-bat.

Velez had been tied with Pittsburgh’s Bill Bergen (1909), Dave Campbell of San Diego and St. Louis (1973) and Milwaukee’s Craig Counsell (this season).

In other words, plenty of bad to go with the good for the Dodgers in a season that ended with them going 25-10 since Aug. 22.

“We accomplished a lot of things in these past two months,” Kemp said. “We showed we could really play and beat some great teams and beat some great pitchers, too. It’s all about starting out strong and finishing strong.”

Arizona locked up its NL West title last week, but lost its chance to host the first two games of the NL division series when the Brewers beat Pittsburgh.

Still, the Diamondbacks weren’t ready to concede anything to the Dodgers.

Quiet early in the season finale, Arizona roared back for the second straight night, pulling within two runs in the ninth inning on Cole Gillespie’s grand slam off Ramon Troncosco and Henry Blanco’s solo shot.

Kenley Jansen ended the rally, getting the final two outs for his fifth save, but the Diamondbacks had a more important issue on their minds: Game 1 in Milwaukee on Saturday with Ian Kennedy expected to pitch.

“It’s good to finally know who we’re playing,” Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. “It’s the next step, we’re going to be ready.”

Arizona put together an unexpected turnaround season, following two 90-loss seasons by winning 94 games on the way to its first NL West title since 2007. The crowning moment came with Friday’s division-clinching win, a bubbly infused celebration that spilled over into the pool behind the outfield wall in right field.

But there was still some work to do after the splash bash: catch Milwaukee for the NL’s second-best record.

Arizona kept pace with a thrilling win over the Dodgers on Tuesday, when Ryan Roberts hit a walk-off grand slam to cap a six-run 10th inning after the Dodgers went up five in the top half.

Arizona became the second team in major league history – with the Pirates in 1991 – to win after falling behind by five or more runs in an extra inning, according to information provided to the Diamondbacks by the Elias Sports Bureau.

With the Brewers well on their way to beating the Pirates, the Diamondbacks started off slow against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Arizona managed three hits in seven innings against Ted Lilly (12-14) and Diamondbacks starter Joe Saunders 12-13) allowed five runs and nine hits before leaving after six innings – with most of his teammates.

The atmosphere changed quickly late – again – when Gillespie hit his grand slam and Blanco followed with the homer that chased Troncosco. Arizona couldn’t complete the comeback this time, with Jansen getting Sean Burroughs and John McDonald to fly out, but the Diamondbacks were more interested in looking ahead than behind.

“It should be fun,” Diamondbacks center fielder Chris Young said. “We played good games against those guys all year and I’m sure it’ll be exciting to watch.”

Notes: Arizona led the majors with 501 extra-base hits. … Roberts became the fourth player in history to hit an extra-inning grand slam with his team trailing by three or more runs with his shot against the Dodgers on Tuesday, according to Elias. Babe Ruth, Roger Freed and Jason Giambi were the others. … Due to a rainout in Washington, the Dodgers failed to play 162 games in a non strike-shortened season for the first time since 1989. … Velez’s last hit was a 12th-inning single off Cesar Ramos on May 18, 2010, against San Diego while playing for the Giants.

PHOENIX, Sept. 29 (UPI) — Matt Kemp concluded a sensational season with a two-run homer Wednesday that helped lift the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-5 victory over Arizona.

Kemp wound up with 39 home runs and 126 RBI, becoming the first member of the Dodgers in 70 years to lead the National League in both categories. His .324 batting average was third-best in the National League, behind Jose Reyes of the New York Mets (.337) and Ryan Braun of the Brewers (.332).

Los Angeles finished the season, its first under Manager Don Mattingly, three games over .500 even though the club was embroiled in the financial woes of their owner, Frank McCourt.

Arizona, which spotted the Dodgers a seven-run lead before making a late comeback bid, won 94 games this season. That is the fewest by a division champion this year, but it was good enough to put the Diamondbacks into the playoffs with a division-round meeting coming up Saturday against Milwaukee.

Ted Lilly (12-14) gave up three hits and a walk in seven scoreless innings to get the win.

Joe Saunders (12-13) allowed five runs on nine hits for the Diamondbacks.

All of Arizona’s runs came in the ninth on a grand slam homer by Cole Gillespie and a solo shot by Henry Blanco.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The stark difference in James McDonald’s performance for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Ted Lilly’s for the Los Angeles Dodgers was evident on the scoreboard and in their respective pitching lines.

McDonald matched his shortest outing in 30 starts this season, throwing 76 pitches over three innings and giving up five runs on seven hits in the Pirates’ 6-1 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday night. It was his first appearance against the team that drafted him in the 11th round of the 2002 draft and brought him up to the majors for the first time in 2008.

“It’s all what the player makes of it. There’s no way around some of the emotional ties that can come with that,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “You always have a first girlfriend, you always have a first organization. And that was his first organization, so I’m sure he developed some friendships and established some relationships that he’ll keep for a long time.

“Whether he was caught up in the competition of the other team, I don’t know,” Hurdle added. “Obviously, there might be some room for growth there — to pat down his emotions. I haven’t spoken to him about that. But if it was just a command thing, we’ve just got to move past this and get it back on track for the next start.”

The Pirates acquired McDonald (9-9) from Los Angeles at last year’s non-waiver trade deadline. Saturday was the third anniversary of his big league debut, when he pitched a perfect inning of relief at Pittsburgh and struck out two. He was 5-6 with a 4.11 ERA in 53 appearances with Los Angeles, including five starts — none of which lasted longer than five innings.

“Maybe I tried to put too much emphasis on this outing because it was the Dodgers,” McDonald said. “Maybe I let the game speed up instead of just kind of stepping back and slowing it down. It’s something I’ll learn from. I wasn’t getting ahead of guys. When you get behind good hitters who have an idea, things are not going to work out your way. I should have been more aggressive in the strike zone early in the count.”

Despite McDonald’s outing, Hurdle is optimistic about the lanky right-hander’s future.

“The conversations that I heard when I got here were that they loved the arm. They loved the frame and the downhill angle he can create. And then the more they dug, they loved the young man just as much,” Hurdle said. “It wasn’t just about a tool set. I think it was about a person they thought would mature and develop and mature. He had an intense desire to pitch and wanted to start, and we had more fertile of an opportunity to get him into the rotation than there was in L.A. at the time.”

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly hoped McDonald succeeds with his new team.

“The thing about J-Mac is, you like his deception,” Mattingly said. “He’s a big kid with an easy motion, a good breaking ball. When he first came up, he really pitched good out of the pen, and at times he got it up there pretty good. I’m not sure why it didn’t work out for him here. When he got his opportunities, he was just OK, but it wasn’t consistent. But I actually liked J-Mac, and he’s getting a chance to pitch now. I haven’t really looked at his numbers, but I’ve seen that he’s thrown some good games.”

Pirates catcher Matt Pagnozzi, the nephew of former St. Louis catcher Tom Pagnozzi, made his Pirates debut in the fifth as a pinch-hitter for reliever Aaron Thompson and hit an opposite-field single on the second pitch he saw. Pagnozzi became the 52nd player used by the Pirates, breaking the previous club record set last season.

“That wasn’t a record we set out to break before the season started. That was not on our checklist,” Hurdle said. “But when you get a number like that, there’s a reason for it. We’re had our share (of injuries), but we’ve pushed through and dealt with it the best we can.”

The Dodgers grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first, as James Loney drove a first-pitch homer into the pavilion seats in right-center for his 11th of the season and the 23rd allowed by McDonald. In Friday’s series opener, Loney ended a homerless drought of 57 at-bats on a full count against reliever Chris Resop while pinch-hitting for Justin Sellers in the sixth inning of the Dodgers’ 7-2 win.

Lilly (10-14) allowed a run and four hits, struck out seven and walked two. The two-time All-Star, winding up his first full season with the Dodgers, joined CC Sabathia and Mark Buehrle as the only left-handers to reach double digits in wins during each of the last nine seasons. Lilly has a 2.67 ERA over his last 10 starts, lowering his overall figure to 4.27.

All-Star Matt Kemp scored his 100th run in the third inning on Rivera’s homer and stole his 40th base in the sixth, becoming the first player in Dodgers franchise history with at least 40 steals, 100 runs scored, 100 RBIs and 30 home runs.

Kemp led off the third with a single and Rivera followed with his fourth home run since joining the Dodgers in a trade with Toronto on the day of the All-Star game. Los Angeles increased the margin to 6-1 in the fifth, when Tim Federowicz singled home Aaron Miles for his first RBI in the major leagues.

Notes: Once Pagnozzi gets behind the plate, he will become the eighth different catcher used this season by manager Clint Hurdle — the most by the Pirates since 1953 and one shy of the franchise record set in 1914. … RHP Kenley Jansen relieved Nathan Eovaldi with the bases loaded and one out in the Pirates sixth, striking out Ryan Ludwick and pinch-hitter Garrett Jones. … The Pirates are 17-40 since July 19, when they were 51-44 and led the NL Central by a half-game. They have since plummeted to a season-worse 21 games out of first place.

The Dodgers are 23-7 in their last 30 home games against the Pirates.

However, Broxton’s days with the Dodgers could be nearing an end. His rehabilitation has been slowed by setbacks to his elbow and a sore back.

Broxton pitched just 12 2-3 innings this season, when he made $7 million. He is eligible for free agency after the World Series.

Javy Guerra and Kenley Jansen emerged as capable late-inning relievers in Broxton’s absence, making the two-time All-Star expendable. He was 1-2 with a 5.68 ERA and seven saves this season after compiling 58 saves over 2009 and 2010.

Broxton is the latest Dodgers player to have his season ended early because of injury. Right fielder Andre Ethier had minor right knee surgery on Wednesday. Third baseman Casey Blake (neck), right-handers Rubby De La Rosa (elbow), Jon Garland (shoulder) and Vicente Padilla (neck) and left fielder Juan Uribe (sports hernia) also have had surgery.

Conte said Friday that the team wasn’t aware of the loose chips in Broxton’s elbow until he had another MRI and a CT scan. He’s expected to resume throwing in six weeks.

Conte said the bone bruise, the spur and the loose chips were within centimeters of each other and were all related.

“It’s sometimes difficult to know where the pain is coming from,” Conte said.

Manager Don Mattingly said the surgery is “good news” for Broxton, adding that, “It explains what’s been going on.”

Meanwhile, left fielder Tony Gwynn Jr. will be out a couple days after a MRI revealed he jammed his left shoulder in a headfirst slide during a game in Washington, D.C., last week.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Tonight’s pitching matchup: Diamondbacks RHP Daniel Hudson (16-9, 3.41 ERA) vs. Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw (18-5, 2.36).

Hudson exceeded the 200-inning mark in his previous start, his complete-game effort against the Padres running his season total to 203. He threw 188 2/3 innings in the majors and minors combined last season, so with three starts remaining plus the playoffs, he could be in line for a significant innings increase. … He has been dominant lately, posting a 1.14 ERA in his past four starts, throwing 31 2/3 innings with six walks and 26 strikeouts in that span. … Hudson faced the Dodgers once this season, giving up one run in a complete-game win. … Kershaw, one of the top candidates for the Cy Young Award, has been close to untouchable lately. He has a 0.78 ERA in his past six starts, with 47 strikeouts and six walks in 46 innings. … The Diamondbacks touched him for four runs in 6 1/3 innings Aug. 7, a game in which infielder Cody Ransom hit a go-ahead, two-run home run.

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