The first career meeting between Clayton Kershaw and Stephen Strasburg lived up to its billing. Even if Kershaw would later say he “didn’t have much in the tank.” That Kershaw wasn’t pitching to his best capabilities wasn’t lost on Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
He removed the left-handed ace after seven innings and 95 pitches against the Washington Naionals. What’s more, the hook came in spite of Kershaw batting for himself to end the bottom of the seventh.
When Roberts sent Kershaw to the plate it was under the expectation he’d take the mound in the eighth inning. But the 2016 National League Manager of the Year thought better of it.
“After I thought about how he was grinding through the day, and the linescore looks great and he pitched well, but I basically changed my mind,” Roberts explained.
“I think the easy thing for me to do was just send him back out there. But I think the responsible thing, either way it played out, was to go to the bullpen.”
Kershaw allowed just one run on three hits, walked three, and finished with nine strikeouts. Ryan Zimmerman ambushed a first-pitch fastball and slugged a solo home run in the second inning.
“First pitch of that inning, I thought maybe I could sneak a strike in there,” Kershaw said. “I throw a lot of heaters on the first pitch, and I bet he was expecting it. It was an impressive swing.”
While Kershaw managed to limit damage, there were multiple loud outs. “I felt fine, it just wasn’t quite coming out the way I wanted to,” he said. “That’s a good lineup, too. They’ve got a really good team over there. Fortunate to get a win and salvage the series a little bit.”
Kershaw is not one to take kindly to an early removal. There was an animated conversation with Roberts and Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt once it was relayed that Pedro Baez was taking over.
“There was a lot going on there both ways,” Kershaw said. “Without elaborating, that’s the way it went. It is what it is.”
Roberts reiterated he respects Kershaw’s burning drive to never want to come out of a game. The decision nearly backfired as Baez surrendered a leadoff triple. He later made a terrific stop on a grounder up the middle to catch Trea Turner in a rundown.
Kenley Jansen recorded his fifth four-out save this year, and Kershaw became the National League’s second pitchers to eight wins this season.
