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Zack Greinke helps Dodgers have a week at home

Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES -- Saturday night saw an old fashioned pitchers' duel at Dodger Stadium, with Zack Greinke and the Dodgers narrowly edging Robbie Erlin and the Padres 2-1 in the middle game of the final 2015 regular season weekend series at Dodger Stadium.

The win clinched home field advantage for the Dodgers over the Mets in the National League Division Series, which will begin on Friday, Oct. 9 at Dodger Stadium.

Greinke matched his season high with eight innings, allowing only a solo home run to catcher Austin Hedges. Greinke struck out eight to give him an even 200 strikeouts on the season, joining Clayton Kershaw as the second Dodgers teammates each with consecutive 200-strikeout seasons.

Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale turned the trick for four straight seasons, from 1962-65.

Erlin was stingy in his own right, allowing a solo home run to Justin Turner in the first inning but not much else over his seven innings, allowing only five hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

The difference came in the fourth inning, when the Dodgers were able to string together a couple of singles to open the fourth inning, by Howie Kendrick and Turner, to put runners at the corners. Adrian Gonzalez followed with a double play, one of three hit into by the Dodgers on Saturday, but this one scored a run.

Greinke made it hold up, allowing one or zero run for the 21st time in 32 starts this season.

He lasted six innings in all 32 of his starts in 2015, and had 30 quality starts, the first Dodgers pitcher to do so in 46 years, and the first in the majors since Felx Hernandez in 2010.

Greinke's regular season was truly remarkable, finishing with 200 strikeouts and just 40 walks in his 222⅔ innings, leading the majors with a 1.66 ERA that is the lowest in the majors since Greg Maddux put up a 1.63 mark in 1995.

Greinke ends his season with the second-lowest ERA in Dodgers history (but the best ERA+, roughly 226), trailing only Rube Marquard's 1.58 ERA in 1916, and the lowest WHIP (0.844) in the 132-year history of the franchise.

Saturday particulars

Home runs: Justin Turner (16); Austin Hedges (3)

WP - Zack Greinke (19-3): 8 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts

LP - Robbie Erlin (1-2): 7 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs, 4 strikeouts

Sv - Kenley Jansen (36): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 strikeout