Clayton Kershaw labored through a short start and the Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a 7-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies that has them facing the prospect of being swept at Coors Field.
Kershaw struggled to consistently throw strikes, and when he did, the Rockies swung early and often. They benefited from walks and over came an early deficit to take a 4-1 lead by the second inning.
Home runs were also mixed in, as Randal Grichuk and Elias Díaz each hit a solo shot off Kershaw. Charlie Blackmon also was a thorn in Kershaw’s side, going 3-for-3 while the left-hander was in the game.
Blackmon’s third hit was a leadoff infield single in the fourth inning when Brendan Rodgers and José Iglesias produced back-to-back two-out base hits. Kershaw was removed after allowing six runs on nine hits and throwing 77 pitches across four innings.
He issued four walks for the first time since putting five on base against the San Diego Padres during a start on August 1, 2019. The nine hits Kershaw allowed were his most since giving up to the Rockies, also at Coors Field, on Opening Day of the 2021 season.
Kershaw run support nonexistent
Kershaw exited with the Dodgers trailing 6-2 in a reversal from being one of the top pitchers in terms of run support. Justin Turner provided L.A. with an initial lead after Freddie Freeman singled to extend his hitting streak to 12 games and stole second base. Freeman then scored on Turner’s RBI single.
Hanser Alberto broke a 1-1 with a solo home run in the second inning, but the Dodgers largely went quiet after that.
Two-out singles by Trayce Thompson and Gavin Lux failed to start a rally in the fourth inning, and neither did Turner’s walk in the fifth. Max Muncy led off the sixth inning with a solo home run to the second deck in right-center field, breaking a personal 0-for-14 skid.
Muncy doubled in the the eighth inning and tied with Freeman for the team lead with two hits. Trea Turner lifted a home run in the ninth inning but the Dodgers did not mount a two-out rally.
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