Clayton Kershaw turned in a vintage performance as the Los Angeles Dodgers salvaged their series against the St. Louis Cardinals with a 7-3 win at Busch Stadium.
The left-hander allowed just one run on six hits and collected a season-high seven strikeouts in five innings of work. It was Kershaw’s first win since Aug. 18 of last season, which coincidentally also came against St. Louis on the road.
Kershaw improved to 12-6 with a 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 23 career starts against the Cardinals. While he has mostly been successful, the three-time Cy Young Award winner’s history against St. Louis includes a few disastrous playoff outings.
When asked if he finds added satisfaction pitching well at Busch Stadium, Kershaw gave a definitive answer, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“No, not really.”
The Cardinals reminded Kershaw of some of his past struggles by showing Matt Adams’ game-winning home run against him in Game 4 of the 2014 National League Division Series during a video that was played on a loop.
Kershaw was critical of the Cardinals’ decision to do so:
“I think it’s a little bush league, but I don’t expect anything less from these guys. So it’s no worries.”
There has certainly been no love lost between Kershaw and the Cardinals over the last decade, but the 37-year-old seemingly remains focused on continuing to improve this year.
The Dodgers and Cardinals will play three more times in the regular season from Aug. 4-6 at Dodger Stadium. A potential postseason meeting isn’t out the realm of possibility, with both teams currently near or at the top of their respective divisions.
Clayton Kershaw & Dustin May flipped in Dodgers rotation
The Dodgers began their road trip without a probable listed against the Cardinals on Sunday, which originally was Dustin May’s turn in the rotation.
However, Kershaw instead made the start in order to give May an extra day of rest. That leaves May lined up to face the San Diego Padres in the series opener at Petco Park.
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