Steve Webb
PHOENIX, AZ — It was pretty clear from the get-go that Clayton Kershaw was not having one of his better outings against the D-backs on Friday night. Still, he battled and limited the damage and entered the sixth inning with a chance at a gritty win. He had a 3-2 lead, thanks to a couple of homers from James Outman and Chris Taylor, and the Dodgers had already knocked Madison Bumgarner out of the game. Kershaw just needed to gut his way through the sixth and hand it over to the bullpen.
Best laid plans, huh? Things didn’t exactly work out the way Kershaw and the Dodgers were hoping. New D-back Evan Longoria and rookie sensation Corbin Carroll hit back-to-back home runs off the Dodgers’ lefty legend, and sent him out of the game on the wrong end of a 4-3 score.
The D-backs would score twice more off Yency Almonte in the bottom of the 8th to put the game on ice for Arizona.
However, the Dodgers had their chances. A slew off walks kept the bases full of Dodgers most of the night, but like in their previous two losses, an inability to get a big hit with runners on base fated the Dodgers to rely on the long ball to provide the scoring, not a great recipe going forward. In the three losses this year, the Dodgers have gotten a grand total of ZERO hits with runners in scoring position.
“Just a little bit off night,” is how Kershaw described it after the game. “I think I did a lot of things I shouldn’t, especially when your team grinds and gives you the lead like that. It’s disappointing to give up the lead late in the game like that. Just a lot of things to work on for the next one.”
Short Hops
- This was the 400th start of Kershaw’s career. He’s only one of 34 guys who have made that many starts with just one team.
- Again, the bullpen was not great. Vesia’s off, Almonte’s off. Something’s gotta be fixed down there.
- Austin Barnes caught Kershaw tonight. Not having Will Smith in the lineup hurts.
- Max Muncy had a do-or-die play on a swinging bunt at the end of the 8th inning that could have kept it a one-run game. He couldn’t make the barehand stab of the ball and a run scored.
- Noah Syndergaard gets the ball in the third game of the series. He’ll lock horns with righty Zach Davies in a rematch of last week’s game at Dodger Stadium. 5:10 first pitch.
