By the time it was all said and done, Clayton Kershaw allowed 10 hits, one run and set a 2016 season-high with 10 strikeouts. The Los Angeles Dodgers ace didn’t earn a decision on Thursday, but he kept his club in the game long enough for a second straight extra-innings win.
The Atlanta Braves needed only two batters to step to the plate in order to erase an early deficit. Erick Aybar led off the bottom of the first with a double, and scored as Daniel Castro followed with an RBI double.
Kershaw then found himself in a jam in the second inning, as the Braves loaded the bases with no outs on a trio of singles. The three-time Cy Young Award winner struck out Mallex Smith on three pitches and got help from Chase Utley, who made a diving stop to start an inning-ending double play.
From that point forward, Kershaw didn’t have the best command of his curveball and slider, but he continued to grind through the start. Kershaw retired seven consecutive batters into the fourth inning, and at that point worked around a pair of two-out singles to put another zero on the board.
Atlanta managed just three hits off Kershaw over his final four innings of work. He credited the Braves for a strong approach that forced him to adjust, according to ESPN’s Doug Padilla:
“It was a grind for sure,” Kershaw said. “They had a good game plan. They swung at the first heater they saw, and they got hits in the first few innings. They came out ready to go and I had to adjust from there. I made some better pitches the last few innings there. It wasn’t easy today, but I’m glad I got to make it through eight the way the bullpen had been used.”
Kershaw also attempted to do his part with the bat and on the bases. His fly ball to right-center field dropped as Smith and Jeff Francoeur collided, resulting in a two-base error in the seventh inning. Two batters later, Kershaw attempted to score the go-ahead run on Corey Seager’s base hit to right.
Francoeur’s throw was a bit off target, but home plate umpire Angel Hernandez ruled Tyler Flowers applied the tag before Kershaw could slide in safely. The Dodgers challenged the call, with replay appearing to show Kershaw get in, but the out was not overturned.
Through four starts this year, Kershaw is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 30 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched. He’s also thrown at least seven innings in his first four outings to start a season for the first time in his career.
