LOS ANGELES -- Few in the baseball world would argue with the notion that Clayton Kershaw will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But when it comes to his overall legacy, things get more complicated when the subject of his postseason resume arises.

The overarching story of Kershaw¡¯s history in the playoffs contains stellar starts and duds alike -- with short rest often factoring in. Most of the time, though, at the very least, he¡¯s been serviceable, pitching well enough to keep the Dodgers in the game. And that¡¯s what the Dodgers got from Kershaw in their 5-3 loss to the Padres in Game 2 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

However one may choose to evaluate ¡°playoff Kershaw,¡± he has one thing going for him -- his 213 postseason strikeouts are the most in AL/NL history. His six strikeouts in Game 2 allowed him to retake the lead from Justin Verlander, who had passed him in the ALDS on Tuesday.

None of Kershaw's strikeouts on Wednesday was more memorable than Jurickson Profar¡¯s in the top of the fourth. Leading off, the Padres¡¯ left fielder swung at a curveball that bounced well in front of home plate.

Most postseason K's, all-time?

1. Clayton Kershaw: 213?
2. Justin Verlander: 208?
3. John Smoltz: 199?
4. Andy Pettitte: 183?
5. Roger Clemens: 173

Kershaw didn¡¯t always have his best stuff in Game 2, however, as the Padres forced him to work in a way they did not in their two regular-season meetings. But he held them to three runs despite giving up six hits in five innings.

¡°It was huge to get him through five,¡± manager Dave Roberts said. ¡°Allowed us to stay away from some [relievers]. ¡­ I just felt that he wasn't sharp. I thought it was a grind all night for him.¡±

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The Padres got to Kershaw early, with Manny Machado crushing a 2-1 hanging slider over the left-field wall in the first inning. They threatened again in the second, a pair of base hits and a wild pitch leading to a one-out, second-and-third jam that Kershaw escaped with key strikeouts of Trent Grisham and Austin Nola, both on his slider.

Kershaw wasn¡¯t so fortunate in the third, when the top of the Padres¡¯ order tagged him for three straight hits to open the inning, including an RBI double from Machado. Another run came in on Jake Cronenworth¡¯s groundout to first base. The 26 pitches Kershaw threw in the frame ran his count up to 60 for the game.

Then, Kershaw bounced back nicely with a pair of 1-2-3 innings, including a top of the fifth that saw him retire San Diego¡¯s top three hitters on 11 pitches.

¡°The homer to Manny was a mistake, and the two-strike hit that Profar got [in the second inning] was a mistake,¡± said Kershaw. ¡°Then I left a slider up to [Juan] Soto, too, that he got a hit on [in the third]. I definitely made some mistakes that they made me pay for. ¡­ I would like to have a few pitches back, but it definitely could have been worse, for sure.¡±

With the best-of-five series now even at a game apiece, the Dodgers and Padres are guaranteed to play two at Petco Park. Following the loss, Tony Gonsolin was announced as the Game 3 starter, meaning Game 4 will go to Tyler Anderson. Game 1 starter Julio Ur¨ªas would be lined up to start Game 5 on full rest, if necessary.

Could Kershaw -- who has seven career postseason relief outings -- enter that equation with yet another short-rest playoff appearance?

¡°I think everybody will be ready,¡± said Kershaw. ¡°Hopefully we don't get there, but I think everybody will be ready for that.¡±