Kershaw’s welcome return leads to Dodgers’ victory over Snakes

LOS ANGELES — Welcome back, Kershaw! In a start that Dodgers fans have been waiting for since Independence Day, lefty ace Clayton Kershaw made his return from the IL against the Diamondbacks on Monday night. While, it wasn’t quite triumphant, it was plenty good. Kersh settled down after a shaky first and pitched 4.1 solid innings as part of a 5-1 Dodger win.

Clayton’s welcome return

Facing the Diamondbacks, who are still under fifty wins for the season, was a classic “soft landing” for Clayton Kershaw, who’d been a spectator through the second half of the season until Monday night. He got touched up for a long ball in his rehab start in OKC, so my expectations were pretty low for this first step into pool for Kershaw.

And, as anyone who has watched Kersh pitch for more than twelve seconds knows, Kershaw is most vulnerable on his first few pitches of an outing. True to form, it was a bit of a rough go for him in the top of the first. He got a lead-off strikeout, but then surrendered a double to Ketel Marte and then walked Carson Kelly to gift the D’backs with a little rally. He got a lineout to Mookie Betts on the next pitch, but then let Josh Rojas square up a 0-2 fastball to drive in the D’backs first and only run of the night. If there was anything concerning about Kershaw outing, it was the velo on the heater, which was in the low 90’s all night. Hopefully as his strength is built up, the mph will increase as well.

Dodgers respond with three-run first

In a case of “just-what-the-doctor-ordered”, the Dodgers got busy in the bottom of the first and put Kershaw back on the mound with a lead. It was a pretty inning, full of all kinds of good things, without a homer in sight. Mookie Betts, who looks so much more comfortable hitting first, led off the inning with a line-drive double to left. Max Muncy flew out, but Betts was able to advance to third on the play. Trea Turner then drew a walk and there were runners at the corners with just one out for Corey Seager. Seager then ripped a solid single to right that send Betts home with the tying run.

The score would stay tied for all of two pitches, as Justin Turner laced a double to the right field corner to clear the bases. Just like that, Clayton Kershaw had himself a 3-1 lead.

Kershaw settles down, gets in 50 pitches

Now pitching with the lead, Kershaw had much better luck in the next couple of innings. He gave up a single in the second and a double in the fourth, but that was it after the first inning. He had the slider working and his command was sharp, throwing 34 strikes out of 50 pitches. He probably could have gotten the decision, but in what looked like a scripted move, he was pulled with one out in the fifth after retiring D’backs pitcher Zach Gallen. Nevertheless, the Dodgers have to be happy with what they saw from him. His line for the night: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K.

Offense tacks on two more

After Kershaw was removed from the game, the Dodger hitters put a little distance between them and the Diamondbacks. They got a run in the sixth on a Gavin Lux walk and a Austin Barnes double, and then a second piece of insurance in the seventh when Justin Turner went big fly yet again. It was Turner’s fourth home run in the last seven games, and it’s more evidence of the Dodger lineup slowly waking up for the final push for pennant.

4.2 shutout innings from the pen

As the Dodgers added runs to the board, the bullpen finished up what Kershaw had begun. In this one, it was Phil Bickford, Alex Vesia, and Corey Knebel who got the game to the seventh, and then Mitch White came in for the final two innings. There were a couple of hits along the way, but nothing really came of them. The biggest jam came in the sixth when Alex Vesia was able to squirm out of a two-on, one-out jam with a couple of strikeouts.

Staying even with the Giants

Hitting stars on Monday were Corey Seager, Justin Turner, and Austin Barnes, who all got multiple hits and drove in runs. With this sort of production up and down the lineup, the Dodgers are tough to beat. The Giants pasted the Padres tonight (thanks, San Diego!), so no change in the standings. FanGraphs is still projecting the Dodgers to win the division, but with every Giant win, that seems less and less likely. We shall see. It’s going to be the second post-IL start for Tony Gonsolin on Tuesday, as he takes the mound opposite righty Luke Weaver (3-4, 4.24 ERA).