The Los Angeles Dodgers went 10 weeks without Clayton Kershaw last season, and for a moment it seemed plausible they’d lose their ace three innings into Tuesday night’s matchup against the San Francisco Giants.
Kershaw’s trouble began in the bottom of the first when Hunter Pence led off the inning with a comebacker. Kershaw appeared to stick his backside and leg out in attempt to knock the ball down, which he did, completing the play.
At first glance, the ball looked as though it struck Kershaw on his back. In actuality, he took it off his right calf.
It came back to bite Kershaw in the third inning, when he limped halfway down the first-base line on a groundout to third base. There was a quick conversation with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts in the dugout but nothing else.
Kershaw proceeded to hold the Giants to one run over seven innings, collecting seven strikeouts in the process. Roberts shared his level of concern during the game was high, though Kershaw downplayed the matter, per ESPN’s Doug Padilla:
“It just kind of grabbed,” Kershaw said. “It was my right leg, so it’s not my push-off leg pitching, so pitching was fine. Just when I tried to move fast … for me, I just pushed off and I felt it. It didn’t feel great, but I’m not worried about it.”
By earning the win in the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory, Kershaw improved to 11-4 with a 1.36 ERA in 19 career games (18 starts) at AT&T Park. What’s more, the Dodgers snapped a six-game losing streak at the Giants’ home ballpark.
Though, they’ve gone just 5-17 in their past 22 games in San Francisco, with Kershaw starting in four of the wins; Brett Anderson took the ball in the other. Overall this season, Kershaw is now 4-1 with a 2.29 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts to just three walks in 35.1 innings across five starts.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner is next scheduled to start Monday, against the same Giants, though at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers starting pitchers are receiving an extra day of rest on their next turn due to Julio Urias being inserted into the rotation on Thursday.
