Starting a big-league game for the first time since July 23, Dodgers ace looked very much like the same Clayton Kershaw he was before walking off the mound with a lower back strain that day.
SAN DIEGO — Get together with old friends for the first time in awhile and everyone falls back into their familiar roles as if no time has passed.
It was just like that.
Starting a big-league game for the first time since July 23, Clayton Kershaw looked very much like the same Clayton Kershaw he was before walking off the mound with a lower back strain that day.
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Dodgers Notes: Top prospect Alex Verdugo arrives for potential September audition His curveball had its usual bite, his slider the familiar hiss. And the San Diego Padres were as thoroughly overmatched as they usually are against Kershaw.
The Dodgers rested ace allowed just two harmless infield singles in six scoreless innings in his return, putting a stop to the Dodgers’ five-game losing streak with a 1-0 victory over the Padres.
Kershaw has said he felt healthy enough to be pitching in the big leagues a few weeks ago and had to be convinced that a rehab start was a necessary step to returning. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that the team had used the luxury of their runaway lead in the NL West to “slow-play” Kershaw’s return, erring wholly on the side of caution with a pitcher who spent 75 days on the DL with a more serious back injury last season.
The left-hander seemed intent on proving his point at the Padres’ expense.
Roberts said before the game that a loose limit of five innings and 75 pitches was the “baseline” for Kershaw’s first game back. But he cruised through six innings on a hyper-efficient 70 pitches. Only 17 were called balls and Kershaw didn’ t go to a three-ball count on anyone until the final batter he faced.
Manuel Margot beat out a chopper over the mound to start the first inning. Kershaw retired the next 12 batters before Yangervis Solarte reached on another ground ball that shortstop Chris Taylor stopped on the outfield grass but couldn’ t make a play on.
Those were the only baserunners in Kershaw’s six innings – and Solarte’s grounder to the outfield grass was as close as the Padres got to making a Dodgers outfielder field a ball Friday night. Kershaw struck out seven.
But the Dodgers’ offense wasn’ t having much luck with Padres starter Dinelson Lamet for most of the night either. He struck out 10 in six innings.
Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger led off the sixth with singles off Lamet. They were still standing at first and second two outs later. But Chase Utley came through with a two-out, RBI single to drive in Turner.
That gave the Dodgers their first lead in a game since last Friday.
Brandon Morrow, Tony Watson and Kenley Jansen made it stand up by retiring the final nine Padres batters in order, striking out six.
More to come on this story.
