Kershaw lit up in Colorado
given life to his bid to potentially start the All-Star Game, despite him missing a month earlier this season with a back injury.
“If he goes out there and continues to pitch well,” said Roberts, who will be a coach on the National League staff, “I think it would almost be a no-brainer for him to start the game.”
Instead, Kershaw’s season ERA jumped to 2.94 after Tuesday, his string of six straight starts giving up two runs or fewer snapped in disheartening fashion.
“It was just one of those nights where he didn’t have his pitch mix working,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers (45-28) briefly led early on, getting an RBI single from Justin Turner in the top of the first and a solo home run from Hanser Alberto that broke a 1-1 tie in the second.
But then Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland hit a stride, going on to pitch a six-inning, three-run start.
Kershaw’s outing, meanwhile, spiraled in the opposite direction.
In the bottom of the second, he gave up a leadoff home run to Randal Grichuk on a hanging slider, then two more runs on three singles and two walks.
Kershaw issued four free passes in the opening two innings after allowing just seven in the first 45 innings this season.
In the third, Elias Díaz cranked a long solo blast to left. In the fourth, the Rockies (33-42) scored again with a two-out rally that culminated in an RBI single from José Iglesias, making it 6-2.
That marked the end of Kershaw’s night — and any real drama in the outcome of the game. Over the final seven innings, the Dodgers had only two runs — a Max Muncy solo homer in the sixth and a Trea Turner homer in the ninth.
In five games at Coors Field this year, the team is 1-4 and has scored only 15 runs.
“Before this year we’ve played really well here,” Roberts said. “But this year for some reason we just can’t win games here.”
Freeman’s ‘f luid’ agent situation
Freddie Freeman didn’t confirm reports Tuesday that he filed paperwork to terminate his relationship with his longtime agents at Excel Sports Management.
But the Dodgers first baseman did say the situation remains “fluid” with the representatives who for three months led free-agency negotiations that ended with Freeman signing in Los Angeles instead of back with the Atlanta Braves.
Freeman did say he is happy with the Dodgers, adding that he and Kershaw are all good after discussing highly publicized comments Kershaw made to the Atlanta Journal Constitution last weekend suggesting Freeman isn’t fully comfortable with the Dodgers yet.
“It’s time to move on and focus on the Dodgers,” Freeman said. “And that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”