Los Angeles — The Braves would've needed more than a good night's sleep to handle Hiroki Kuroda on Monday.

The Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander took a perfect game to the eighth inning against the Braves before Mark Teixeira broke it up with a double. It was the Braves' only hit in a 3-0 series-opening loss at Dodger Stadium.

Kevork Djansezian/AP (ENLARGE)

Not even Chipper Jones could figure out Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda.

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Kuroda (5-6) didn't allow another baserunner before or after Teixeira's hit as the right-hander recorded his second consecutive complete-game shutout at Dodger Stadium.

"Oh my God, that's the best stuff we've seen this year," catcher Brian McCann said after the fourth-place Braves lost for the seventh time in nine games, and remained six games behind National League East leader Philadelphia.

"It was his night," Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson said of Kuroda, who had six strikeouts and no walks and threw fastballs clocked at 94 mph in the ninth inning. He needed only 91 pitches to put away the Braves.

"He's throwing 95 mile-per-hour sinkers that are just dropping off the table," McCann said. "We couldn't have done anything tonight to hit that guy. I don't think with full rest we would have hit him tonight."

The Braves didn't arrive at their team hotel until 2:45 a.m. Monday, after a rain-delayed, 17-inning win against Houston Sunday in Atlanta, and a delayed flight.

Nomar Garciaparra's two-run homer in the fifth inning off Jorge Campillo (3-4) provided enough run support for Kuroda, who threw a four-hit shutout against the Cubs in his last home start, before a stint on the 15-day disabled list for shoulder tendinitis.

Told that Kuroda had come back from a shoulder problem, Braves manager Bobby Cox seemed surprised that the 33-year-old rookie had been injured recently.

"Didn't look like it tonight," said Cox, whose Braves have lost 15 of their past 21 road games. "I don't remember a three-ball count all night. He's an expert at pitching down in the strike zone, with a lot of control. It's amazing. He just made no mistakes."

Matt Kemp added an RBI single in the fifth inning against Campillo, who had allowed only a walk and a single through four innings. Campillo worked seven innings and gave up three runs and five hits with three walks.

"Our guy pitched a great game," Cox said. "I don't know what it is, we just don't score runs for Campillo."

Campillo is 1-4 with a 4.85 ERA in his past eight starts, after going 2-0 with an ERA of 0.60 in his first three upon moving from the bullpen to the rotation. But he hasn't gotten much help from his teammates.

In four of his past five starts, the Braves have scored one or no runs while Campillo has been in the game.

Their only hit Monday came off the bat of Teixeira, who has been the subject of an increasing amount of trade rumors as the Braves continue to muddle along and the July 31 no-waiver trade deadline draws nearer.

Teixeira will be a free agent after the season and is represented by hard-driving agent Scott Boras.

It's uncertain whether the Braves are prepared to get into a high-stakes bidding war for the switch-hitting slugger, and how far out of the race they would have to fall before considering whether to trade him.

"My No. 1 focus is winning a game tonight against the Dodgers," Teixeira said before Monday's game. "I've got work to do to get prepared for that game, so that's what I'm doing. It's easy to concentrate on the game once you're in between the lines. ...

"The talk is going to happen. You can either buy into it or worry about it, or go out there and do your job. I think that's what I'm going to do, is go out there and do my job. I just hope my teammates don't get too involved in rumors.

"I don't want it to be a distraction. Because we still have a chance to win. There's no one in here that's given up hope on the season. The last thing we need is for trade rumors to start."