The final Spring Training tuneups for Clayton Kershaw and Hisashi Iwakuma were hardly a masterpiece for either pitcher. The Los Angeles Dodgers concluded their 2017 Cactus League schedule with a tie against the Seattle Mariners at Peoria Sports Complex.
The Dodgers loaded the bases in the first inning behind a single and pair of walks. Tyler Holt’s RBI single gave them the lead, but also ended the inning as Scott Van Slyke was thrown out at home plate.
Kershaw walked Jean Segura to start the bottom of the first, which set the tone for what ended up being a laborious inning. After a pair of groundouts, Nelson Cruz hit a slicing RBI double down the right-field line to tie the game. Kershaw then left an elevated fastball over the plate to Kyle Seager, who lined an RBI single into left-center field.
Danny Valencia walked to put two on with two outs before the Dodgers’ left-handed ace managed to get out of the inning. He needed 33 pitches to do so. Iwakuma also struggled with his command, walking two of the first three batters he faced in the second inning.
The right-hander nearly managed to escape the small jam, but he was replaced after allowing a game-tying base hit to Yasmani Grandal. Kershaw needed just six pitches to throw a 1-2-3 second inning, and got through the third on 12 pitches, despite the leadoff hitter reaching via error.
In total, Kershaw threw 51 pitches over three innings, allowed two runs and issued two walks in his final time on the mound before Opening Day.
Mitchell White, the Dodgers’ second-round pick in the 2016 Draft, took over in the fourth inning for his second Spring Training appearance. The right-hander picked up a strikeout as he worked around a bloop double and walk.
White then completed a second scoreless inning in relief, which included striking out Cruz on a fastball. Chris Taylor reached on an error to start the sixth and stole second base with one out, only to be stranded by Mike Ahmed and O’Koyea Dickson.
White issued a leadoff walk in the the bottom of the sixth, but followed it by inducing a double play and groundout to complete a third scoreless inning. Cody Bellinger’s one-out, opposite-field single in the seventh inning was the Dodgers’ first hit since Omar Estevez led off the fourth with a single.
Mariners reliever Dylan Unsworth retired Trayce Thompson, and after Bellinger stole second base, Ike Davis, to complete a fifth scoreless inning. Madison Younginer took over in the bottom of the seventh and promptly allowed a leadoff double to Guillermo Heredia.
It was followed by two groundouts to shortstop and Robinson Cano was then called out on strikes to end the inning with the Dodgers and Mariners still tied, 2-2. Holt led off the eighth with a bunt single and later scored on Ahmed’s two-out double.
After drawing a leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth, Cruz was replaced by pinch-runner Ian Miller. He stole second base, but with one out attempted to swipe third and was tagged out due to coming off the bag.
That hurt the Mariners, as Taylor Motter singled and Leonys Martin doubled. Michael Johnson struck out Tuffy Gosewisch to work his way out of the jam. Joe Broussard allowed a leadoff single in the ninth and later a game-tying double.
