When Clayton Kershaw faced the Atlanta braves for the first time this season they pushed him around for 10 hits, which is the most he’s allowed in a 2016 start. Kershaw managed to navigate his way through multiple jams at Turner Field that April afternoon, holding Atlanta to one run over eight innings.
He recorded 10 strikeouts, which marked the beginning of a stretch of six consecutive starts with at least that many punchouts. Facing the Braves on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, Kershaw tossed just six innings.
It marked the shortest outing this season for the left-handed ace, and was the first time he didn’t complete a minimum of seven innings. “Physically, I felt fine. The ball just wasn’t coming out very good, it was one of those days where it’s just a grind,” Kershaw said.
“I was thankful to make it through six. I made some OK pitches when I had to, but I definitely caught some breaks as well.” Although Kershaw’s spot did not come up in the bottom of the sixth, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts thought the timing was right to remove his ace.
“He continued to have to make pitches, which he does, but after 25-ish pitches in that inning, I felt six was good,” Roberts said. Kershaw downplayed fatigue being an issue, but understood his manager’s decision after a taxing inning.
“He obviously saw the sixth and it wasn’t very good, regardless of fatigue or not,” Kershaw said. “It wasn’t very good, so I’m sure he saw enough.” Saturday’s game was a break from what’s been the blueprint in Kershaw’s starts this season.
If not going the distance, Kershaw pitched deep enough into games to hand the ball over to Kenley Jansen. While the bullpen picked him up, it’s not something Kershaw wants to make a habit of. “Six innings isn’t why we’re here, that’s not acceptable,” he said.
“I’ll take it for tonight, but I don’t ever want to leave three innings for the bullpen.”
