The pitching matchup between Clayton Kershaw and Stephen Strasburg was enough to excite Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully. So much so that Scully shared during the Time Warner Cable SportsNet LA telecast it was the reason why he elected to fight through a sore throat.
Then, just over one hour before first pitch at Dodger Stadium, the Nationals announced Strasburg was scratched from the anticipated pitching matchup due to an upper back strain. The earliest meeting (by calendar date) between 10-game winners in National League in over 100 years suddenly was no longer on the table.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he was informed around the same time of the Nationals’ announcement. So too was Kershaw. “I guess I found out about an hour before the game,” he said.
“It wasn’t like they were seeking me out to tell me. It’s not that big of a deal for me.” Yusmeiro Petit was pressed into emergency duty, and he pitched admirably. In his first start since May 23, 2015, he allowed three runs on five hits over six innings.
Petit also dashed any hope of Kershaw throwing a no-hitter, with a two-out chopper up the middle in the third inning. “I might not have given up a hit to [Strasburg] like I did to Petit,” Kershaw said in discussing the missed opportunity to duel the right-handed ace.
“He can actually hit a little bit, too. That stuff matters a little bit in the National League, but otherwise it’s not a big deal.” Kershaw finished with eight strikeouts over seven strong innings. He allowed one run on six hits, with three of those — and the run allowed — coming in the seventh.
“It’s tough to say, I think at times [my pitches] were all OK,” Kershaw said. “That last inning when they got those hits strung together, I couldn’t really get a slider over when I needed to. They did a good job swinging at fastballs.”
With multiple fires burning in the greater Los Angeles area, the smoke only added to an already-uncomfortable setting at Dodger Stadium. The temperature at first pitch was 96 degrees, which was down from the 100-plus-degree weather in the afternoon.
Although it may have appeared as though Kershaw’s 106 pitches were more taxing than normal given the conditions, the Texas native shot the notion down. “This is L.A. It’s not hot here,” he said.
“Where I grew up, Texas is hot. If this was a day game it might have been a little different. Today during the day, I’m not going to lie, it was a little rough. Once the sun went down, it was OK.”
Kershaw improved to 11-1 with a 1.57 ERA. The Dodgers are now 14-1 in games he’s started this season.
