Cody Snavely
Clayton Kershaw’s first two starts since being activated off the 60-day injured list after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, the first of his then sixteen-year career, have been mixed.
When Kershaw made his 2024 regular season debut against the National League West rival San Francisco Giants, a team he is all too familiar with, posting a 2.04 ERA in sixty games against them.
Kershaw looked rusty at the start but still pitched a solid four innings, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks and striking out six batters. It was a good first step, but his second time out facing the red-hot San Diego Padres at Petco Park was a complete disaster.
The veteran left-handed pitcher could only go three-and-two-thirds, allowing seven runs on six hits while not striking out a single batter and with a diminished velocity that hovered under 90mph most of the night.
The start must’ve been so bad that, according to Major League Baseball insider Bob Nightingale, the Dodgers are “privately concerned” about Kershaw’s status for the rest of the season.
The Dodgers are privately concerned about Clayton Kershaw, who was rocked in his second start against the Padres, lasting just 3 ⅔ innings and for the first time in his career, failed to strike out a batter. It ends his record 423-game streak with at least one strikeout, the longest streak since the mound was moved to 60-feet-6 inches in 1893.
Kershaw, who averaged less than 90 mph on the gun, generated only two swings-and-misses.
Bob Nightingale on Kershaw’s status within the organization
Kershaw is on the rubber tonight, facing off another top National League team in the Philadelphia Phillies, who, despite struggling as of late, have hit left-handed pitching well with a .268/.344/.446 slash line and a .790 OPS.
With Walker Buehler inching his way back along with multiple young starters in Justin Wrobleski, River Ryan, and Landon Knack, roster spots come October will be competitive, and even the great Clayton Kershaw will have to earn his keep.
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