Optimism was abound for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday afternoon as they wrapped up a series win at Chase Field by shutting out the Arizona Diamondbacks, 3-0.
Clayton Kershaw’s return from the injured list could not have been scripted any better as the left-hander turned in a vintage performance. Kershaw’s fastball velocity regularly sat 92-93 mph, his slider had a sharp break to it and patented curveball had its usual shape.
Kershaw retired the first 10 batters faced, including four by strike out. Starling Marte beat the shift by poking a single through the right side with one out in the fourth inning. It marked the first hit Kershaw allowed, and was followed by another into center field.
He stranded both runners and was through four innings on 57 pitches (42 strikes) with five strikeouts. Kershaw continued to mow his way through Diamondbacks’ lineup before exiting with two outs in the sixth. He held Arizona to just three hits and finished with six strikeouts over 5.2 shutout innings.
Kershaw was staked with an early lead thanks to Cody Bellinger lining a two-run home run to right field in the first inning. The homer was Bellinger’s first this season but more importantly came after a day off to reset amid his skid to start the year.
That wound up being Bellinger’s only hit of the afternoon, but he flied out to the warning track in his next at-bat and reached on a force out in the fifth inning. Bellinger’s showing and comfort level at the plate supported what manager Dave Roberts indicated before the game.
“He’s putting the ball in play, so I just think he’s started to take some aggressive swings. As long as he’s staying in the strike zone, he’ll be fine,” Roberts said. “[Saturday], a day to kind of collect himself, and he’s excited to be back in there.”
Mookie Betts similarly had a slow start to the season, and he too hit a home run in the series finale. Betts found the pool in right-center field with his drive, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 3-0.
However, that was also the same at-bat Betts either aggravated or suffered an injury. He shook it in apparent discomfort after a foul ball and was seen speaking with a trainer upon arriving back in the dugout. The Dodgers later announced he was removed due to a sore middle finger on his left hand.
Corey Seager on the mend
Betts dealing with a potential injury came hours after Corey Seager was held out of the lineup because of a left quad issue. Roberts said Seager was going to receive treatment and considered him day-to-day.
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