LOS ANGELES -- The call to action came five days ago.

Fed up with a championship-caliber team not hitting or pitching in relief like it ought to, and with the results being five consecutive losses and the San Francisco Giants within arm's reach, Clayton Kershaw said something about it all. Addressing the media after that fifth loss, the Los Angeles Dodgers' ace said it was time to panic and that kind of emotion could be a good thing for his first-place club.

The Dodgers have won four in a row since, including Friday night's 4-1 beating of the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw, who watched the bullpen blow a win for him before making those comments Sunday, showed why comments like those have substance coming from him, as he threw eight innings, allowed one run, walked one and struck out 14 Cubs.

Eight times this season Kershaw has gone at least eight innings while allowing no more than one run, and it was the sixth time he has done it while striking out at least 10 hitters. It was also the 10th game since 1914 that a Dodgers pitcher had 14 strikeouts and no more than one walk, and the third by Kershaw.

"Pretty good, huh?" manager Don Mattingly said. "He looked like he was really sharp early and just kept it the whole game. ... He really set the tone for us."

Before the game, Mattingly was asked if he thought Kershaw's words from the weekend struck a chord with his teammates. Without elaborating, the manager was matter-of-fact with his answer.

"Yes, I do," Mattingly said.

Kershaw was asked the same thing after this latest gem, but instead of taking the bait, Kershaw reverted back from Sunday to his typically calm, collected self.

"I don't know," Kershaw said. "We're just playing good. Obviously we played a team like the Reds that are struggling right now, so that obviously was good timing. Tonight, winning against this team, they are a great team and they're playing really well in August. So that was a big win for us. That was good."

It was also consecutive wins for the Dodgers when Kershaw and Zack Greinke pitch in back-to-back games, in either order, for the first time since Aug. 11-12. That might not seem like a long time, but when the pair is as good as those two and when eight innings of one-run ball seems like the norm, it's longer than it should be.

Last time through the rotation, in Houston, the Dodgers lost both games despite them combining to pitch 15 innings and allowing four total runs. For the season, the Dodgers have swept consecutive games started by Kershaw and Greinke seven times and have lost both twice.

"We're going to need all our guys, but obviously when you've got horses like that you'd like to win those days," Mattingly said. "Especially when they give you a chance. Some days they are going to get hit, too. But if they give you a good chance to win, you'd like to win those."