Dodgers complete sweep of Pirates with 3-1 victory

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Matt Kemp’s best season just keeps getting better. The Los Angeles Dodgers are moving into rare territory, too.

Kemp hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning, Ronnie Belliard added a solo shot and the Dodgers beat the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.

“Every win up to this point is going to be big,” Kemp said as the Dodgers trimmed their magic number for clinching their third postseason berth in four years to nine.

Los Angeles began the day with a five-game lead over Colorado in the NL West — its largest since being 51‚Ñ2 games up on the Rockies on Sept. 1.

The Dodgers’ first three-game winning streak since Aug. 20-22 against the Chicago Cubs left them 29 games above .500 for the first time since the penultimate day of the 1985 season.

Kemp sent an 0-2 pitch from Kevin Hart (1-6) into the right-field pavilion for his 24th homer, driving in Belliard and giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead en route to their 38th comeback win of the season. Kemp extended his career highs for homers and RBIs (94) with his first longball since Sept. 1.

“I didn’t think I would be here this quick doing all these good things,” he said. “I’m letting the game come to me.”

The Dodgers beat the Pirates on a home run for the second day in a row, this time with only three regulars — Andre Ethier, Kemp and James Loney — in the starting lineup.

Kemp’s shot came about 15 hours after Ethier’s two-run homer in the 13th inning lifted Los Angeles to a 5-4 victory.

“It was a real important game for us to win, coming back from the game last night and knowing you have a psychological advantage,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. “We were able to hold up.”

Belliard made it 3-1 in the eighth, hitting the first pitch from Phil Dumatrait over the wall in center. Dumatrait gave up Ethier’s winning homer on the first pitch a night earlier.

Hiroki Kuroda (7-6) gave up one run and six hits, struck out seven and walked none in his third start since returning from the disabled list after being hit on the right side of his head by a comebacker at Arizona on Aug. 15.

“A little bit of a surprise that he was able to really get back to normal that quickly because he had to deal with a great deal of trauma, not to mention the concussion,” Torre said. “To have him jump in there this time of year is important because of what he did last year for us.”

Jonathan Broxton pitched a perfect ninth for his 35th save in 40 chances.