Clayton Kershaw bolstered his case for the National League Cy Young Award with his 21st win as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the host San Diego Padres 6-2 on Sunday.

Kershaw (21-5) won his eighth straight decision while giving up two runs on four hits with six strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings. Kershaw’s 21 wins are the most by any Dodger since Orel Hershiser won 23 in 1988.

The pitching triple crown candidate tied Ian Kennedy for the most victories in the National League while lowering his major-league best ERA to 2.28. He leads the National League with 248 strikeouts.

Teammate Matt Kemp's bid to become the first triple crown hitter in 44 years appears to be fading after he went 1-for-5 with one RBI.

The Dodgers’ MVP candidate remains tied with Albert Pujols for the National League lead in home runs with 37, and he leads the RBI race with 120. However, Kemp’s average dropped to .324, nine points behind Ryan Braun.

Aaron Cunningham hit a solo home run in the fifth inning for just the second home run allowed by Kershaw in 13 career starts against the Padres. Cory Luebke (6-10) went six innings and took the loss for San Diego.