Clayton Kershaw became the 34th pitcher in MLB history to make at least 400 starts for one team, but Friday was a night to forget. Kershaw was on track for a quality start before allowing back-to-back home runs that doomed the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 6-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers provided Kershaw with a 1-0 lead in the first inning and 2-1 advantage in the second. However, the Diamondbacks tied the game again in the third inning.
Kershaw didn’t retire the side in order until the fifth inning, and he coughed up a 3-2 lead in the sixth by surrendering home runs to Evan Longoria and Corbin Carroll.
Following the Dodgers’ loss, Kershaw expressed frustration with his performance, via SportsNet LA
“Just a little bit of an off night. I did a lot of things I shouldn’t, especially when your team grinds and gives you the lead like that. It’s disappointing to give up the lead there late in the game. A lot of things to work on for the next one.”
Kershaw additionally wasn’t moved by making 400 career starts for the Dodgers because the milestone came in a loss:
“Right now it doesn’t mean a whole lot because it’s a loss. Once again, I think being here for as long as I have, is a special thing and I don’t take that for granted. But tonight, just trying to kind of wrap my head around what went wrong there in the sixth more than anything. The first couple innings, they got some runs, some ground-ball hits, some things you really can’t do a whole lot about. But those homers there to give up the lead, you’ve got to be better than that. That’s why you get another one.”
That Kershaw would endure some bumps in the road at Chase Field is nothing new. He’s now a career 8-11 at the Diamondbacks’ home ballpark, which are the most losses Kershaw has outside of Dodger Stadium.
Chase Field and Wrigley Field (2-3) are the only stadiums Kershaw has a losing record in.
Clayton Kershaw vs. Madison Bumgarner
Friday’s game was the 13th time Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner have started opposite one another. The majority of those battles came during matchups between the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, but the veteran lefties have opened the season by locking horns in consecutive starts.
“I think their baseball cards are long and very colored,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said last week.
“Very impressive. I’ll tell you that I think those two guys going against one another brings out the best, because they have a mutual respect and a friendship. So they always want to outdo one another. You’re going to see that come out.”
Bumgarner’s team has won seven of the 13 head-to-head meetings.
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