Unable to get a win against the Miami Marlins heading into Thursday’s series finale, the Los Angeles Dodgers are in the midst of their first three-game losing streak this season. In addition, their 2-0 loss on Wednesday was the first time they’ve been shutout in 2016.
Looking to rebound from inconsistency that’s plagued him over his last three outings, Scott Kazmir got off to an inauspicious start. Dee Gordon and Martin Prado combined for back-to-back singles with no outs, and Giancarlo Stanton’s broken-bat RBI base hit gave the Marlins a 1-0 lead.
Marcell Ozuna followed with an RBI single of his own, and the Dodgers trailed 2-0 before Kazmir worked his way out of the inning. While Kazmir got off to a shaky beginning, he settled in the rest of way.
“A couple of pitches I made in the first inning felt like they were good pitches, but ended up giving two runs,” he said. “Ended up settling down and really found a good rhythm. I threw a lot of pitches in the first inning, but toward the end felt more comfortable and carried that throughout the rest of the game.”
A.J. Ellis, who caught Kazmir for the first time this season, was pleased with his ability to shake off the first inning. “He really settled in after the first inning, really even after the fifth hitter. From that point on, he was pretty much locked in,” Ellis said.
“We had a good rhythm going today. It was fun to get to work with him for the first time. We can build on a lot of things going forward.” Kazmir twice had stretches where he retired six consecutive batters in a row.
He tallied six strikeouts over six innings and wound up allowing just the two runs on seven hits; only three hits came after the first frame. Although he did not swing a bat in either of his two plate appearances, Kazmir said he will do so in the future.
As for the troublesome wrist issue he suffered from after his start in Colorado, Kazmir said the left wrist “feels good, feels fine.” He intends to throw off a mound before his next scheduled start against the Tampa Bay Rays, his former club. Kazmir owns a career 3.64 ERA at Tropicana Field.
