The Los Angeles Dodgers entered Wednesday’s series finale with the Arizona Diamondbacks needing a victory to salvage their six-game road trip with a .500 record. The Dodgers were 6-2 in rubber matches this season, and had the benefit of Clayton Kershaw taking the mound.
While Kershaw is in the midst of another historically great campaign, Chase Field has presented its share of challenges for the Dodgers’ ace. The hitter-friendly ballpark and Diamondbacks lineup offered some resistance, and Kershaw needed a little luck to walk out with his 10th win this season.
After the Dodgers left a pair of runners on base in the first inning, Kershaw bookended the bottom of the first with strikeouts. Included in that was getting Paul Goldschmidt swinging on a high and outside fastball.
Rickie Weeks Jr. led off the bottom of the second with a home run to give the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead. Kershaw promptly struck out the next two batters before getting an inning-ending fly out.
While Kershaw continued to work his way through the Diamondbacks’ lineup, the Dodgers once again struggled to generate run support. That changed in the sixth when back-to-back two-out singles from Adrian Gonzalez and Howie Kendrick were followed by a Scott Van Slyke three-run home run.
Kershaw picked up his 10th strikeout of the game in the bottom of the sixth, though allowed one run to come across on a Goldschmidt RBI single that hit off the top of the wall in left field. Kershaw’s day of work ended after he struck out Yasmany Tomas to start the bottom of the eighth:
With the win the Dodgers’ ace improved to 10-1 this season. There was some controversy as Kershaw walked Tomas in the fifth, though it was only because home plate umpire Sam Hollbrook miscalled a clear strike.
