After concluding their homestand by making MLB history with three consecutive walk-off wins via home run by hit by a rookie, the Los Angeles Dodgers began a National League West-centric seven-game road trip against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
They entered play Monday night at Chase Field riding a six-game winning streak and sending Clayton Kershaw to the mound on an extra day of rest. He was coming off a bit of a vintage performance that saw him hold the San Francisco Giants to three hits over seven shutout innings.
The Dodgers jumped on Zack Greinke in the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. However, it was erased in the bottom half, and the Diamondbacks took a 4-3 lead in the second inning when Greinke lined a solo home run out to left field.
The Dodgers tied the game in the eighth inning but Dylan Floro couldn’t keep it there, and the Diamondbacks went on for an 8-5 victory. Kershaw explained some of the trouble he had throwing a slider and took responsibility for the loss, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“Just a bad game. It’s just unfortunate. They scored three runs early for me, and I gave it right back. It’s a tough one, for sure. It lands on my shoulders to do better, and I’ll do better next time. … Yeah, there’s a lot of things (I struggled with). I threw two bad sliders in the first inning and never really found it throughout the game. It’s just tough. That’s an important pitch for me.”
It was on a slider that Kershaw allowed the Diamondbacks to tie the game as he left it over the heart of the plate for Christian Walker, who swatted a three-run homer to center field. Austin Barnes set up for the pitch to be down and in on Walker.
The home run was his third in six career at-bats against Kershaw. Only Adam Dunn (four) has more career home runs against Kershaw. It wasn’t until Walker later singled in the game that he had a hit other than a homer off the three-time Cy Young Award winner.
Kershaw’s pitch to Greinke — a fastball — hit the targeted location of low and in. Greinke, a Silver Slugger and respectable hitter throughout his career, simply ambushed the pitch.
Even with the rocky outing, Kershaw has completed at least six innings in each of his 13 starts this season. Monday was only the second time he didn’t turn in a quality start. The four runs Kershaw allowed matched a season high.
