Jim Cella
SAN FRANCISCO—The best pitching staff in Major League Baseball was on display in San Francisco on Thursday. The Dodgers used nine pitchers to shutout the Giants in both ends of a doubleheader and up their season record to 24-9. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw led by example for the rest of the LA staff as he went 6.0 innings in the first game, didn’t allow a run and gave up only four hits in a 7-0 rout. The second game highlighted the Dodgers’ outstanding bullpen. The seven Los Angeles relievers 1-upped Kershaw. They combined on a 2-hitter and struck out eight in a 2-0 victory.
GAME 1 RECAP: The table was set for the two, 7-inning games in the very first inning of the opener. Mookie Betts walked to start the game and came around to score after a Corey Seager single and a pair of ground outs. The Giants tried to tie the game in the bottom of the inning but their momentum was doused by Kershaw and Cody Bellinger. Kershaw allowed a leadoff single to Mike Yastrzemski and then Bellinger came up with the defensive play of the year which saved a possible multiple-run inning for the Giants. Wilmer Flores got a hold of a 1-0 fastball and sent it to the deepest part of the park in right center. Bellinger got a great jump on the ball and proceeded sprint 107 feet to track it down and register the out. Kershaw used that defensive gem as the catalyst to scatter three more hits over the next five innings and register his fourth win of the year.
The offense broke the game open with four runs in the fourth and then two more in the seventh. The big hit in the fourth was a 1-out double off the bat of Austin Barnes that scored Joc Pederson and Chris Taylor. Barnes would come around to score the fourth run of the frame when Seager reached on an infield single. The two runs in the seventh came courtesy of an AJ Pollock deep drive to left field. Bellinger got on base with a double to center and then Pollock went deep on a 1-1 off-speed pitch.
Kershaw only allowed one runner to reach third base during his 6.0 innings – and only allowed two runners past first base. He ended up giving up two double and two singles and struck out four. Kershaw didn’t walk a batter and threw 86 pitches on the day. Josh Sborz took over in the seventh and retired the Giants in order to finish off Game 1.
GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS:
GAME 2 RECAP: It was a “bullpen” game for the Dodgers in the nightcap. Caleb Ferguson got the start and was the first of seven pitchers. He pitched a 1-2-3 first inning and then handed the baton to Victor González. González went 2.1 innings, the longest of any LA pitcher, and didn’t allow a hit. He wound up earning his second win of the season and has now pitched 6.1 consecutive innings without allowing a run. Brusdar Graterol, Jake McGee, Scott Alexander and Blake Treinen combined to pitch the next 2.2 innings before making way for Kenley Jansen who pitched a scoreless seventh to record his eighth save of the year.
Pederson supplied all the scoring the Dodgers would need to record the 2-0 victory. His second-inning homer proved to be the eventual game-winning run. Pederson’s fifth HR of the year was a typical “Joc Pop” as he unloaded on a fastball and then admired the 434-foot shot to dead center. Pederson would score the only other LA run which came on back-to-back doubles in the fourth. He started the 2-out rally with a double down the right field line. Will Smith would plate Pederson when he hit a 2-bagger into the left-center gap.
GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS:
HE SAID IT: “I think the key in those games is to get the early lead. I like the two sevens over the two nines.”—Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts on the keys to winning in the 7-inning game and then whether he prefers 7-inning or 9-inning doubleheaders.
RECORD PACE: The Dodger’s 24-9 record after 33 games puts them on pace for a 118-win season in a normal 162-game schedule. Los Angeles set a franchise mark for win last year when they went 106-56.
THAT’S PRETTY GOOD ODDS: If you are a betting person you might want to put down a few bucks on the Dodgers to make the playoffs. The ESPN website now has the Dodgers’ odds of making the playoffs at 100%. Sounds like a safe bet to us.
SERIES SUCCESS CONTINUES: The Dodgers’ series unbeaten string was in jeopardy on Thursday, but thanks to the DH sweep they haven’t lost in their first 11 series of the season. LA is now 8-0-3 in series this year and they upped their overall series unbeaten streak to 17 which dates back to the end of last season.
CY KERSHAW: Don’t look now but there’s a familiar face in the running for the 2020 NL Cy Young Award. Kershaw’s no-run performance in Game 1 dropped his season ERA to 1.80 and his WHIP to 0.770. He also won his fourth game of the year and is 4-1 in 2020. Kershaw moved up in all the NL stat races after Thursday. He is now tied for fourth in wins, ERA and WHIP among starters with at least five starts in the NL.
BEST LEFTY EVER: The win also moved Kershaw into rarified air in MLB history. The victory was the 173rd of his storied career and he is now 173-75 in his 13 MLB seasons. His winning percentage of .697 is the best of any lefthanded pitcher in the history of the game. He moved past Whitey Ford and Dave Foultz for the honor as top lefty by win percentage. He is now second among all pitchers with at least 10 years in the majors. Good ol’ Spud Chandler pitched for 11 seasons with the Yankees and had a win percentage of .717.
MR. 2500: Kershaw’s four K’s in the opener brought his career total to 2,497. He needs three more punch outs to become the 39th player in MLB history to reach the 2500-strikeout milestone. He is 11 strikeouts away from passing Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson.
TRACKING THE GOLDEN GOOSE: Jansen’s eighth save of the year was also the 309th of his career. He is already the all-time Dodger save leader and needs one more save to catch Yankee Hall of Famer Goose Gossage for 25th on the all-time MLB save list.
HE SAID IT 2: “Overall, I thought it was good. We would like him to be a little more efficient. Kenley did a good job amending his routine for the 7-inning game.”—Roberts on the performance of Kenley Jansen who gave up a single and walk but struck out three.
1000-HIT CLUB ADDS ANOTHER: Betts became the newest member of the 1000-hit club when he singled through the left side of the infield in the sixth inning of Game 1. He joins teammate Justin Turner in the elite hit club as Turner crossed the 1,000-hit barrier earlier this month. Betts went 1-for-6 on the day and is now hitting .287 for the season. He will be happy to leave the Bay Area as he was 2-for-12 (.167) in the 3-game series against the Giants.
BASEBALL MAGNET: Justin Turner was hit by a pitch in both games of the DH. He has now been beaned in three of the last four games which brings his career total to 93 (78 with the Dodgers). He is still a long way from catching former teammate Chase Utley who is No.8 on the MLB all-time HBP list at 204. Turner also paid the price to run his on-base streak to a season-high 19 games.
ON DECK: The Dodgers will head to Texas to face off against the Rangers in a 3-game series. It will be the first time that LA will square off against former third base coach Chris Woodward – and first time to line up in the Rangers’ new stadium. Woodward, who is in his second year with Texas, was the Dodgers’ third base coach from 2016-18. Texas has a brand new stadium this year. Globe Life Field in Arlington, which is a state-of-the-art $1.2-billion stadium, was finished on Mar. 31 and is the third home for the Texas Rangers. The stadium’s dimensions are 329 feet down the left field line, 326 feet down the right field line and 407 feet to dead center. The park also features a retractable roof to beat the heat of the Texas summer.
Los Angeles is scheduled to throw Dustin May, Ross Stripling and Tony Gonsolin. The Rangers, who are 11-19 and in fourth place in the AL West, will counter with the lefty-righty-righty trio of Mike Minor, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson. Lynn is the ace of the Texas staff. He is 4-0 with a 1.59 ERA and a 0.860 WHIP in his seven starts this year. He is second in the AL in both ERA and WHIP among starters who have at least five starts this year.
