Clayton Kershaw reached 2,500 career strikeouts in a vintage performance and the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 5-1 win. L.A. extended their winning streak to five games and they have won 10 in a row at Dodger Stadium.
Luke Weaver, who entered with the worst ERA in the Majors, did his best to match Kershaw but ultimately was done in by an unlucky first inning. After singles by Corey Seager and Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger pulled a ball right to Christian Walker at first base.
He stepped on the bag for the start of a potential inning-ending double play, only for his throw to second base to ricochet and pop into the air. Seager alertly raced home before Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed could locate the ball.
Chris Taylor’s RBI single extended the Dodgers’ lead to 2-0. That’s where it remained as Weaver proceeded to retire the next 15 batters faced. He was removed after allowing a one-out single to Seager in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Kershaw upheld the Dodgers’ 2-0 lead behind his patented devastating curveball, a sharp slider and good fastball command. He struck out two batters in each of the first three innings and had at least one strikeout through the first five.
The Diamondbacks’ only baserunners during that stretch were David Peralta’s leadoff walk in the second, and a walk and hit batter in the fifth. It wasn’t until Christian Walker’s infield single with two outs in the sixth inning that the Diamondbacks managed their first hit.
Kershaw retired Peralta to strand Walker and preserve the Dodgers’ lead. While Walker’s single brought the tying run to the plate, it in some sense eliminated a lingering difficult decision. Kershaw was working on a no-hitter but his pitch count suggested seeing the start through was unlikely.
So he settled for six shout innings, a season-high 99 pitches and an effort that lowered his ERA to 1.50 through six starts.
After the Diamondbacks scratched a run across in the seventh inning, AJ Pollock answered it in the bottom half with a pinch-hit leadoff homer. Mookie Betts provided more insurance with a two-out RBI single.
Kiké Hernandez provided the final bit of breathing room with an RBI base hit in the bottom of the eighth.
Cody Bellinger returns
After missing the first two games of the series due to a sore right lat, Cody Bellinger was back in the lineup, starting at first base and batting cleanup. He 0-for-4 and left six runners on base.
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