Coming off a subpar start against the San Diego Padres, Clayton Kershaw delivered a terrific performance as the Los Angeles Dodgers secured an 8-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.
The offense came out swinging after the third inning, providing Kershaw with a three-run cushion through five frames. It allowed him to attack the Brewers lineup over seven complete innings with first-pitch strikes to 19 of 24 batters faced.
Wade Miley was on the losing end of the contest, taking a step back from his early-season brilliance heading into the series finale at American Family Field. After Miley retired the first 10 hitters, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith hit back-to-back homers in the fourth, and the Dodgers tacked on two more runs an inning later to knock Miley out of the game.
On a day that very much was centered around Kershaw’s brilliance, Miley joined those in heaping praise with yet another comparison to Sandy Koufax, via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com:
“He’s probably the best lefty we’ve seen in this game, probably since dadgum [Sandy] Koufax,” Miley said. “He’s had an unbelievable career. I’ve been a huge fan of him. Learned from him, watched the way he goes about it. It sucks to be on the losing end.”
Kershaw and Sandy Koufax are the closest comparison to make, mainly because the similarities are striking, and their dominance in a Dodgers uniform go hand in hand.
Meanwhile, Miley and the Dodgers have a history dating back to the 2018 National League Championship Series, when L.A. bested Milwaukee in seven games.
In 11 games (10 starts) against the Brewers, including the postseason, Kershaw is 5-2 with a 1.98 ERA. Brewers manager Craig Counsell stacked his lineup with eight right-handed hitters, but the 16-year veteran had no problem navigating his way through it.
Clayton Kershaw bounced back after rough outing
Kershaw struck out eight and didn’t issue any walks while holding the Brewers to just a solo home run and five hits overall. Kershaw lowered his season ERA to 2.36 in 49.2 innings.
With his eight strikeouts, Kershaw hushed criticism following his start against the Padres at Petco Park.
In his first time facing the Padres this season, the 35-year-old labored his way through 4.2 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits with a season-high five walks. The uncharacteristic outing proved to be too much for the Dodgers offense to overcome, earning him a second loss of the year.
But stifling the Brewers was another step forward for the reigning National League Pitcher of the Month.
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