The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Pitcher Price tests positive, placed on the COVID-19 list
SAN DIEGO » Dodgers left-hander David Price has tested positive for COVID-19 and was placed on the injured list.
Price was in the Dodgers’ locker room before their game against the San Diego Padres on Sunday. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Price was not feeling well so he underwent testing.
“He had symptoms so we did some testing,” Roberts said. “I don’t know the protocol, how many days it’s going to be.”
Price opted to sit out the 2020 season over concerns about the health risks of playing during the pandemic. He has been vaccinated, according to Roberts.
The veteran left-hander pitched the last inning of the Dodgers’ win over the Padres on Friday and had made five appearances for the Dodgers, allowing one run on four hits over 4 2/3 innings.
Roberts said he did not believe the Dodgers were at risk of an outbreak affecting multiple players.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “You don’t know until you know. But right now, no one has symptoms. We do that (testing) daily. So I think we’re in a good spot.”
Closing in on K record
Clayton Kershaw struck out three in his five innings Sunday, moving him within four of passing Don Sutton for the franchise’s all-time strikeout record.
“I don’t really think about that. I’ve never really tried to think about strikeouts,” Kershaw said. “But it is something special and hopefully I do it at some point this year.”
Sutton’s 2,696 strikeouts with the Dodgers were just part of his career total of 3,574 (collected with five different teams over a 23-year career). Kershaw has pitched for just one team in his career.
“Those are hard to come by,” Roberts said of great players who play for just one team in their career. “You know, when I was growing up you could kind of identify certain ballplayers with certain ballclubs. Nowadays ... it doesn’t happen very often. So when you see an accumulation of milestones or statistics all with one club it’s very unique. For me to see Clayton potentially eclipse the strikeout record and overcome Don Sutton with the Dodgers it’s really special. He’ll be a Dodger forever, a Dodger great.”
Kershaw will go for the record at Dodger Stadium in his next start against the Detroit Tigers, most likely Saturday.
Moronta move
The Dodgers recalled reliever Reyes Moronta from Triple-a before Sunday’s game and placed Price on the IL.
Moronta, 29, was signed to a minorleague contract by the Dodgers this winter. A reliable piece of the Giants’ bullpen in 2018 and 2019, Moronta posted a 2.66 ERA over 125 appearances for them before a shoulder injury required surgery and forced him to miss the 2020 season. He returned in 2021 but spent most of the season in Triple-a.
Moronta made six appearances for the OKC Dodgers this season, allowing one run on six hits while striking out 10 in six innings. He pitched an inning for the Dodgers in Sunday’s 10-2 win.
Rehab update
Reliever Tommy Kahnle continued his rehab from Tommy John surgery by pitching another inning for Oklahoma City on Sunday. Kahnle allowed a single and struck out one while throwing 14 pitches.
In three appearances with OKC, Kahnle has allowed one run on one hit and one walk while striking out three in 2 2/3 innings. Kahnle is not expected to join the Dodgers until early May.
Also
The three-game Dodgers-padres series drew three sellout crowds, totaling 133,856. That is the most ever for a three-game series at Petco Park — topping the 133,456 that attended another Dodgers visit in May 2019.