The Los Angeles Dodgers were able to come away with a series win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night, shutting them out, 3-0, to move to 22-27 on the season.
The story of the night was starter Kenta Maeda, who tossed a gem for the second straight time, pitching 6.2 scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits and four walks while striking out a season-high 12 batters. Ten of the final 11 outs he recorded were via a strikeout.
Maeda was coming off perhaps the best start of his career last Thursday against the Miami Marlins when he completed eight shutout innings. Maeda allowed just two hits while striking out eight. He has struck out 20 batters in 14.2 scoreless innings over his last two starts.
With three of the team’s Opening Day rotation pieces currently on the disabled list in Rich Hill, Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu, Maeda knows that means that he needs to step up, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“Yes, the reality is we have a lot of injured pitchers,” Maeda said. “My focus is to pitch long and pitch well.”
With Kershaw out due bicep tendonitis, Maeda has certainly done his best Kershaw impersonation over the last week, which has bookended a stretch in which the Dodgers have won six of seven games.
Despite their horrid start to the season that saw them 10 games under .500 just a week ago after losing six straight to the Cincinnati Reds and Marlins, the Dodgers are now just 3.5 games out of first place in the National League West.
With Kershaw’s return possibly right around the corner, if Maeda continues to pitch like an ace then the Dodgers might boast one of the best rotations in the league with Alex Wood, Walker Buehler and Ross Stripling all also pitching at a very high level.
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