Dodgers bats back Kershaw as he marches to milestone win
Throw six innings or more, give up three earned runs or fewer, toss about 95 pitches. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Clayton Kershaw has been like clockwork this season, the Dodgers left-hander’s metronome-like march through 2019 continuing with a milestone victory in Tuesday night’s 16-3 thrashing of the Toronto Blue Jays before a raucous crowd of 50,030 in Dodger Stadium.
Kershaw gave up three runs and six hits in six innings, striking out six and walking three, for his 19th quality start in 22 games. He’s gone at least six innings in every start and has not thrown more than 101 pitches.
The 166th victory of Kershaw’s career moved him ahead of Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax and into fifth place on the Dodgers’ all-time wins list behind Don Sutton (233), Don Drysdale (209), Dazzy Vance (190)
and Brickyard Kennedy (177).
“That’s pretty special — it speaks to his work ethic and longevity in the game,” Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill said. “It’s something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. I always say these moments don’t come around often, so you have to enjoy them. It’s pretty cool to see.”
Kershaw, who improved to 13-2 with a 2.71 ERA, has been effective despite a gradual drop in the velocity of his fastball, which has fallen from an average of 93.6 mph in 2015 to 90.3 mph this season, according to Fangraphs.
But better command of the pitch, combined with the smart sequencing of a repertoire that includes a sharp-breaking slider and a slow, looping curve, has put the 31-year-old Kershaw, a three-time National League Cy Young Award winner, back in the conversation for the award.
“It’s his ability to expand the plate and use his slider backdoor, use his curve more,” Hill said.
“When you open up that other side of the plate, hitters can’t just look in one area of the strike zone. They have to respect away and in and also up, because he has that great spin rate and carry on his fastball.”
Kershaw was not dominant Tuesday night. He gave up solo homers to Bo Bichette in the first inning, Derek Fisher — on Lakers Night in Chavez Ravine, no less — in the third and Bichette again in the sixth, equaling the number of homers he gave up in his previous eight starts.
But the Dodgers turned four double plays in the first six innings to ease the stress on Kershaw, who kept the quality start intact by striking out Teoscar Hernandez with a runner on third to end the sixth, and backed him with a 15-hit attack that included five home runs.
Toronto right-hander Sean Reid-Foley, who replaced opener Buddy Boshers to start the second inning, got two quick outs in the third before things unraveled.
A.J. Pollock lofted a homer over the right-field wall — his ninth of the season — to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Max Muncy walked and Will Smith followed with a two-run homer that traveled 434 feet to leftcenter for a 3-2 Dodgers lead.
It was the 11th homer in 27 games for the rookie catcher, who is batting .345 (20 for 58) with eight homers, seven doubles and 24 RBIs in 18 games since being recalled from triple A for the second time July 27.
Cody Bellinger followed Smith’s homer with a single to right-center and Chris Taylor walked. With both runners moving on a fullcount pitch, Corey Seager laced a two-run double into the right-field corner, his first of three hits, for a 5-2 lead.
Kershaw got into the act in the fourth, walking with one out before Pollock doubled to left and Muncy walked to load the bases.
Bellinger roped a three-run double to right-center, giving him a career-high 100 RBIs and the Dodgers an 8-2 lead.
Bellinger was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple, and his pants nearly came off on his acrobatic slide into third, but with a six-run lead, Bellinger and his teammates could laugh at the wardrobe malfunction as he headed to the dugout.
The Dodgers added four more runs in the sixth when Muncy hit his 32nd homer, a solo shot to right, and Taylor, in his first game after missing a month because of a left forearm fracture, hit a three-run homer to left.
Just for good measure, Joc Pederson hit a three-run homer — his 25th — to cap a four-run inning off Toronto infielder Richard Urena in the eighth.