The Los Angeles Dodgers took two early leads against the Colorado Rockies, but Clayton Kershaw was unable to protect them as they were defeated 5-3.
Kershaw allowed all five runs, with three of them earned, in 5.1 innings before the bullpen combined to pitch 2.2 scoreless innings.
After a shaky first inning where he allowed two runs, Kershaw settled down to pitch four consecutive scoreless innings. However, that ended in the sixth innings when the Rockies put up a three spot, which was enough to earn them the win and chase Kershaw from the game.
The veteran southpaw called it a frustrating outing after the game but gave the Rockies credit for hitting some of his quality pitches, via SportsNet LA:
“It was a grind tonight. Overall, I thought my stuff actually was OK. After that first inning I especially felt like I settled in and got in a pretty good groove there. The sixth inning, the curveball that Rodgers hit probably came back into him a little bit. But the other two sliders I thought were well-placed and decent, but maybe I’d just kind of done the same thing too many times.
“They put good swings on it and hit them hard, so that was the frustrating part. Can’t really do anything about Iglesias hitting the curveball. Other than that it just happened fast, unfortunately, in that sixth inning.”
While most pitchers do struggle in the hitter-friendly Coors Field, it is somewhat surprising the future Hall of Famer has not yet figured out how to consistently be more effective there. However, the challenges of pitching in the Mile High city aren’t something Kershaw keeps on his mind:
“I just don’t think about. I just try to make pitches. I’m not going to let any ballpark dictate how I feel about how I pitch. I’m not that mentally weak. I think you’ve just got to pitch. If you don’t pitch good, you’ve got to own up to it. … I just try to keep pitching like you always do and see what happens.”
Although Kershaw has been having a stellar season, his ERA at Coors Field this year is 8.90 over two starts. Additionally, his career ERA there increased to 4.82, the highest mark he has posted at any active stadium.
Despite the poor outing, Kershaw still owns a 2.66 ERA this season across 81.1 innings with 84 strikeouts. And fortunately for Kershaw and the Dodgers, Sunday’s game is the last time they’ll play at Coors Field this season.
Dodgers attempting to begin negotiations for Shohei Ohtani
L.A. Angels owner Arte Moreno historically has been against his team becoming a seller at the trade deadline, but there have been recent indications Shohei Ohtani could be on the move. Despite a strong start to the 2022 season, the Angels have again faded from postseason contention.
Ohtani is in the final season of a two-year, $8.5 million contract, but has one more season of salary arbitration remaining. The likelihood of the Angels re-signing Ohtani once he reaches free agency after the 2023 season has steadily declined over recent weeks.
With an uncertain future, the Dodgers have reportedly attempted to start Ohtani trade talks with the Angels.
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