Steve Webb
CHICAGO, IL — Geez. I guess Clayton Kershaw should pitch day games in the Midwest more often, amirite? Just as he had on his brilliant first start in Minneapolis, the Dodgers’ lefty dominated on a blustery Saturday afternoon in Chicago. Needing only 81 pitches, Kersh cruised through seven shutout innings and the Dodger bats hit the ball all over the friendly confines as the team coasted to an easy 7-0 win over the increasingly hapless Cubbies.
Dodgers strike early
In this, the first game of a double-header, the Dodgers got the only run that they would end up needing in the top of the first, just two batters into the ball game. Mookie Betts led off with a walk, and then Freddie Freeman hit another of his rocket shots to the outfield. Centerfielder Michael Hermosillo corralled the ball, but Freeman decided to test the defense and go for second base. Hermosillo’s throw wasn’t that bad, but it hit the sliding Freeman in the foot and bounded into left field. Mookie Betts scored and Freeman took third on what was scored an error on Hermosillo. The Dodgers were up 1-0 and Cubs fans hadn’t even gotten off the El yet.
Dodgers strike often
The nice thing about this game is the Dodgers kept after the Cubs all day long. They scored not only in the first, but in four other innings. Austin Barnes hit a solo shot in the fourth to make it 2-0. Then, in the fifth, Justin Turner contributed a 2-run double. Trea Turner singled Freddie Freeman home in the seventh, and then Austin Barnes put the cherry on top of this one with a two-run single in the eighth. In all, the Dodgers got eleven hits on the day, and are really starting to look like the offensive juggernaut that everyone expected them to be.
Kersh in control
Clayton Kershaw has got to be one of the nicest surprises that the Dodgers are getting this spring. Though the team signed him for at least one more year, nobody really had an inkling just how dominant he would be.
The MO that teams like to use against Kersh has always been to be aggressive, because Clayton like to get ahead in counts. Well that works fine and dandy when Clayton doesn’t have good stuff. But today, it just meant a lot of quick outs. Nearly a dozen times in the game, Kershaw retired a Cubs batter on the first or second pitch of the at-bat. He scattered five singles along the way, and walk one Cub while striking out two. With this win, Kershaw goes to 4-0 on the season and lowers his ERA to 1.80. Not too bad for your “number 5” starter, right?
Cans of Corn…
- Freddie Freeman hit three doubles today. Yeah, he’s that good.
- Austin Barnes making the most of his start with a big day: 2-for-4 with a homer and 3 RBI.
- Justin Turner is showing signs of life.
- Reyes Moronta should not be looking for permanent housing in the LA area. He’ll be on the first bus to OKC once the Dodgers’ pen gets back to full health.
- Blake Treinen is getting further testing on his sore shoulder. Not a good sign.
- Andrew Heaney is going to resume throwing soon. He’s traveling with the team on this trip.
- It’s hard to believe that the Cubs won the World Series in 2016. It just shows how powerful the Dodgers’ sustained success has been, unequalled in this century.
