Yasiel Puig enters the race for the Triple Crown (and yes, other notes from Saturday)

By Jon Weisman

As the Dodgers try to get off the canvas from their 18-7 loss Saturday to Arizona, some notes:

• Thanks to his 1.260 May OPS and record-setting eighth game in a row with an extra-base-hit and an RBI, Yasiel Puig has vaulted himself into contention for the National League Triple Crown. The 23-year-old is fifth in batting average, tied for fourth in home runs and second in RBI. Troy Tulowitzki, Charlie Blackmon, Paul Goldschmidt and Giancarlo Stanton are also similarly positioned.
• Before this week, the Dodgers had allowed 13 runs in a game 16 times this century, but now they’ve done it twice in four days, for the first time since Philadelphia scored 15 against them on July 17, 2007 and the Mets followed with 13 two days later. The starting pitchers for those two games were Mark Hendrickson and Derek Lowe.

• Clayton Kershaw gave up three triples in Arizona’s seven-run second inning Saturday. That was the first time the Dodgers had allowed three triples in a game since August 29, 2010 and only the 11th time since the franchise moved to Los Angeles.
• Only once have the Dodgers allowed four triples in a game: July 31, 1946. Harry “The Hat” Walker came off the bench to get two of them.
• Going through Baseball-Reference.com records back to 1940, the Dodgers had never allowed three triples in an inning.
• The last Dodger to allow two triples in an inning was Ted Lilly on August 29, 2010 at Colorado.
• Kershaw’s ERA is now 4.43. It had been nearly two years since Kershaw had ended a start with his season ERA over 3.00: after allowing eight runs (six in the sixth inning) at St. Louis on July 24, 2012. Kershaw had a 1.55 ERA in 12 starts to finish out that season.
• The last time Kershaw finished a game with his ERA over 4.00 was after his only start worse than Saturday’s: when he allowed seven runs in 1 1/3 innings against Milwaukee on May 4, 2010. The 22-year-old Kershaw pitched eight innings of two-hit, shutout ball with nine strikeouts in his next outing, and had a 2.54 ERA over his remaining 26 games that year.
• Kershaw’s troubles began Saturday when he walked the leadoff batter of the inning, something that happened only 14 times against 240 batters in 2013.
• Dodger relievers now have a 4.44 ERA this season (13th in the NL), 1.47 WHIP (14th) and 83 walks (15th, and 18 more walks than any other NL team).