Los Angeles Dodgers beat Atlanta Braves for 3-0 on Friday

Clayton Kershaw went eight shutout innings, and Manny Machado and Yasmani Grandal hit home runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers took a commanding lead in the National League Division Series with a 3-0 victory Friday over the visiting Atlanta Braves.

It was the Dodgers' second consecutive shutout in the series after earning a 6-0 victory in Game 1 on Thursday. The only other major league team to open a postseason series with back-to-back shutouts was the 1921 New York Giants.

Los Angeles will go for the sweep Sunday at Atlanta as it aims for its third consecutive NL Championship Series.

Kershaw (1-0) gave up just two hits and did not walk a batter while recording three strikeouts in an 85-pitch outing. In 19 previous postseason starts, Kershaw's longest outing was seven innings. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth inning to earn the save.

Kershaw had started in Game 1 in each of the Dodgers' previous five NLDS openers but gave way this year to Hyun-Jin Ryu, who pitched seven shutout innings in Los Angeles' win Thursday.

"I think once you see Ryu throw the way he did Game 1, you want to mimic that," Kershaw told MLB Network postgame. "Once they told me (to start Game 2), obviously there was a little disappointment there, but after that, you just have to move on. You still have to pitch a big league playoff game. Not many people get to do that so you have a job to do."

On an efficient night, aided by the Braves' aggressive approach at the plate, Kershaw was at 60 pitches through six innings and 73 after seven. He worked around a double to lead off the game by Ronald Acuna Jr. and a comebacker off his right leg in the fifth inning by Ozzie Albies.

"We looked at it and we were kind of (telling) the guys that (Kershaw) was getting ahead with the fastball and we had them be on the attack for it," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "We weren't going to let him get deep (in the count), and that was kind of the plan was to get after him early."

Braves starter Anibal Sanchez (0-1) gave up three runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings with a walk and three strikeouts. He gave up the home runs to both Machado and Grandal. The Braves were shut out in consecutive postseason games for the first time.

Machado rebounded from a 0-for-4, three-strikeout performance in Game 1 to give the Dodgers an early 2-0 lead with a first-inning home run. He hit 37 homers in the regular season, 13 after joining the Dodgers on July 20.

Grandal gave the Dodgers five home runs in the first two games of the series when he crushed a solo shot into the seats in right-centre field in the fifth inning. The Dodgers led the NL with 235 home runs in the regular season.

After Acuna's double to lead off the game, Kershaw retired the next 14 Braves batters. Kershaw struck out Nick Markakis in the first inning but did not record his second strikeout until he got Ender Inciarte looking in the eighth.

(With inputs from agencies.)