CHICAGO: Clayton Kershaw became Major League Baseball’s first 20-game winner and A.J. Ellis hit a pair of two-run homers, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 14-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Major League Baseball on Friday.

Kershaw (20-3) pitched five shaky innings in his shortest start in 3½ months, but the NL West-leading Dodgers roughed up Edwin Jackson on their way to a 13-hit attack that included four homers. Matt Kemp hit a three-run shot in Los Angeles’ six-run first, and Yasiel Puig added another three-run homer in the sixth.

The Dodgers improved baseball’s best road record to 48-31 and clinched a postseason berth when Milwaukee lost at Pittsburgh.

Kershaw struck out nine in his sixth consecutive win. The left-hander is 17-1 with a 1.39 ERA in his last 20 starts.

In other games around the league, Pittsburgh inched closer to a playoff spot with a 4-2 win over the Brewers, Detroit extended its lead in the AL Central division by routing Kansas City 10-1, Oakland defeated Philadelphia 3-1 to regain the top spot in the chase for AL wild cards, and St. Louis maintained a 2½ -game lead in the NL Central division with a 2-1 win over Cincinnati.

Russell Martin hit a three-run homer off Jonathan Broxton in the eighth inning for the Pirates, who have won a season-high five straight.

Martin sent a Broxton fastball into the seats beyond the center field wall for his 11th home run of the season. Mark Melancon worked a perfect ninth for his 31st save as the Pirates moved 4½ games in front of the Brewers for the second NL wild card spot with nine days left in the regular season.

The Brewers, who led the NL Central for most of the summer, are now in danger of missing out on the playoffs entirely after losing their third in a row.

Ian Kinsler hit a two-run homer and everyone in the Detroit starting lineup had a hit by the fourth inning as the Tigers pounded second-place Kansas City.

Justin Verlander (14-12) had all the support he needed by the end of the first inning, when the Tigers had shelled Jason Vargas (11-10) for three runs on five hits. Vargas allowed five runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings, his shortest outing since April 16, 2013.

The Tigers, who lead the division by 1½ games, have forged their advantage by going 12-5 against the Royals his season.

In Oakland, Coco Crisp had two hits and drove in a run, supporting another strong outing from Jon Lester, as the A’s moved a half-game ahead of Kansas City in the AL wild-card race.

Lester (16-10) allowed one run and five hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out seven en route to his third consecutive win.

John Lackey powered back into the St. Louis postseason rotation picture with 7 2/3 dominant innings, and Randal Grichuk and Matt Holliday hit consecutive homers in the first inning of the Cardinals’ victory against Cincinnati.

The NL Central leaders had only five hits but maintained a 2½ -game lead over the Pirates with eight games remaining.

Lackey (14-9) was passed over in the just-completed three-game series against Milwaukee after complaining of a dead arm.

Elsewhere, Tim Hudson allowed four runs in the first inning and San Francisco was held to three hits in a 5-0 loss to San Diego that dropped the Giants 3½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West race.

The Giants’ magic number to clinch a wild-card spot dropped to four.

In New York, Jacoby Ellsbury and Derek Jeter kept Toronto’s Mark Buehrle winless against the Yankees for more than a decade in a 5-3 loss. It was the Blue Jays’ season-worst sixth straight loss.

Buehrle (12-10) lost to the Yankees for the 12th straight time in 17 starts since April 2004.

The Mets’ Lucas Duda hit a two-run homer and Zack Wheeler pitched six scoreless innings as New York beat struggling Atlanta 5-0. The Mets, however, were knocked out of playoff contention when Pittsburgh beat Milwaukee.

Texas’ Ryan Rua had four hits and Jake Smolinski homered as the Rangers beat the playoff-bound Los Angeles Angels 12-3 for their seventh straight victory. The Rangers still have the majors’ worst record at 61-92 after their longest winning streak of the year.

In Baltimore, David Ortiz hit two home runs, including a two-run drive in the 10th inning that lifted Boston past the AL East-champion Orioles 5-3.

In other scores, Washington topped Miami 3-2, the Chicago White Sox topped Tampa Bay 4-3, Colorado routed Arizona 15-3, Minnesota edged Cleveland 5-4 in 10 innings, and Seattle cruised past Houston 10-5.