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SF@LAD: Kershaw strikes out 10 against the Giants

With a possible blockbuster trade looming, the Dodgers could have a very different look Saturday night when they play host to the Marlins.

Reports are that Los Angeles is in talks with Boston to acquire Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto -- but the Dodgers are trying not to get distracted by the trade talks.

"I always try to get back to basics -- get good pitches, make plays," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "If you get back to the game, you are going to have to win it right out here. It's executing and being able to do the boring things of baseball that you do every day.

"You have to get yourself a good pitch, you have to make pitches, you have to be in the right spots."

On Saturday, the Dodgers will hope Clayton Kershaw can make those pitches as he takes the mound in the second game of the three-game set. Kershaw was dominant in his last outing, striking out 10 and walking zero over eight innings against the Giants. Despite that, he was outpitched by Madison Bumgarner and took the loss.

He is 3-1 with a 2.41 ERA in five career starts against the Marlins. In those outings, he has limited Miami hitters to a .174 average (21-for-121) while striking out 37 in 33 2/3 innings.

The Marlins will counter with their own ace, as Josh Johnson aims to reverse some of his hard luck this month. In his last start, Johnson took the loss despite a quality start, giving up three runs in six innings.

That's been the story for Johnson in August, as he has pitched well -- sporting a 2.43 ERA -- but is just 1-3 in four starts.

"He's been throwing very good," Marlins pitching coach Randy St. Claire said. "He's got command of his pitches, throwing to both sides of the plate. His curveball, I think it's been a big pitch for him. He's been commanding the ball.

"The velocity isn't quite where I think he would like to see it, and everybody else would like to see it, but he's really pitching well. That's a good sign."

Marlins: LeBlanc moves back to bullpen
• Lefty Wade LeBlanc is moving back to the Marlins' bullpen and 21-year-old righty Jacob Turner, who was acquired from Detroit last month, will take his spot in the rotation.

"Right now, we're going to keep the kid [Turner] in the rotation, and we're going to put LeBlanc in the bullpen," manager Ozzie Guillen said on Friday. "Then, maybe, depending how we pitch, go with a six-man rotation. It depends on how those guys are going. It depends if we're going to need them."

LeBlanc was 1-2 with a 3.29 ERA in five starts, but sported a 1.15 ERA in 11 relief appearances before joining the rotation. Turner made his Marlins debut Wednesday against Arizona and gave up three runs in six innings. His next start will be Wednesday at home against Washington.

Dodgers: Blister not affecting Ethier
• Andre Ethier has been dealing with a "nickel-sized" blister on his right palm since Sunday, but it hasn't seemed to slow him at the plate.

On Wednesday, Ethier became the first Dodger to hit at least 30 doubles in six straight seasons. In Friday's series opener, he launched a three-run homer in the first inning and finished with four hits. Since the blister popped Sunday, Ethier has had to choke up more on the bat.

"It felt weird, but you just need to get the bat and the barrel to meet each other," Ethier said. "Surprisingly [Friday], it felt way better where I can at least put more pressure on it."

Worth noting
• Marlins utility man Donovan Solano is riding an eight-game hitting streak.

• Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez is 7-for-17 with seven RBIs in four games against his former team.

• Marlins shortstop Jose Reyes, who homered in the first inning on Friday, now has 10 dingers on the season. Reyes is a triple shy of reaching double-digits in homers, doubles and triples for the fifth time in his career.

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