After a lackluster performance on Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers bounced back against the Seattle Mariners in the finale at T-Mobile Park, earning a 6-1 victory to take three out of four in the series that was split between the two home parks.
The offense was able to break through in the third inning, being patient and using the whole field. Kiké Hernandez got things started with an opposite-field single, followed by a walk by Austin Barnes.
Matt Beaty drove in the first run of the game with a ground-rule double, and then Barnes quickly scored on a passed ball to make it 2-0. AJ Pollock and Cody Bellinger capped off the rally with run-scoring singles, extending the lead to 4-0.
Bellinger has been swinging the bat much better as of late, and he capped off his night with a solo home run to lead off the eighth inning. He has now homered in back-to-back games, giving him six on the season.
The reigning National League MVP reached base three times on the night, showing signs of coming out of his early-season slump.
Kershaw makes history by striking out 11
While the offense was able to provide some runs, the night truly belonged to Clayton Kershaw. He had all of his pitches working, especially the patented curveball, leaving Mariners’ hitters off-balance all night.
Kershaw made it through seven innings for the second straight start, allowing just four hits and a run while striking out a season-high 11 batters and only walking one.
With the 11 strikeouts, Kershaw now has 2,493 in his career with the Dodgers, which passed Don Drysdale for second on the franchise’s all-time list. If he can stay healthy, Kershaw should pass Don Sutton (2,696) next season as the Dodgers all-time strikeouts leader.
Kershaw is off to a strong start to the season, boasting a record of 3-1 to go along with a 2.25 ERA in four starts.
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