Clayton Kershaw went 15-2 with a 2.04 ERA, and the Los Angeles Dodgers were 19-2 prior to his stint on the disabled list for a lower back strain. Kershaw earned a win in his return, making franchise history in the process.
It was a 16th consecutive start without him suffering a loss and it extended Kershaw’s personal winning streak to 12 games. The 16-game unbeaten streak surpassed a mark set by the 1924 Brooklyn Dodgers who won each of Hall of Famer Dazzy Vance’s 15 starts from July 11-Sept. 14 that year.
Kershaw’s streak was snapped in a poor outing against the Colorado Rockies, and after coming undone in the sixth inning of Monday’s series opener with the Philadelphia Phillies, he’s now 2-2 with a 3.74 ERA in four starts this month.
Not long removed from allowing the first grand slam of his career, Kershaw voiced frustration and disappointment in his outing and stretch of starts since returning from the 60-day DL, via Spectrum SportsNet LA:
“Not great, I guess. A few bad ones, so I probably should pitch better. … No progress. We had the lead, I blew it, and we lost. There’s not a lot of progress there to be had. Just go back to the drawing board and figure it out for the next one.”
Kershaw had held the Phillies to just two hits through five shutout innings. He uncharacteristically walked pinch-hitter Ty Kelly, a .198 batter, to start the sixth. A broken-bat flare single put two on with one out.
Kershaw then walked Phillies rookie Rhys Hoskins to load the bases with two outs. A 1-1 slider that not only was elevated but had little bite to it, was sent sailing to the upper deck in left field by Aaron Altherr.
The home run was the 21st Kershaw has allowed this season, which is five more than his previous high that was set in 2012. Monday’s loss was a third consecutive start in which he’s surrendered a homer.
Kershaw went through a stretch this season of five straight starts with at least one home run allowed. Included in that was a career-worst four homers against the New York Mets.
As he was nearing a return from the disabled list, the three-time Cy Young Award winner said he hoped to make a handful of starts in preparation for the playoffs. With four under his belt, Kershaw is aligned to make two more before the regular season winds to a close.
