Clayton Kershaw He has a history of underestimating injuries – it’s simply not in his DNA to recognize a potential vulnerability – so his Dodgers He was an all-natural left-hander when he underplayed his “annoying” shoulder that forced him out of a game on June 27 in Colorado after he threw just 79 pitches over six innings with one strikeout.
“Right now, I don’t think it’s very serious,” Kershaw said on that steamy 90-degree evening at Coors Field. “I don’t think I’ll miss the start.”
Six weeks filled with frustration, countless games, many hitting sessions, and simulated games later, Kershaw finally got back to the big league mound Thursday night and picked up where he left off, giving up one run, three hits, and striking out. of four and not walked in five solid innings against the Rockies at Dodger Stadium.
I recently acquired a left hand Ryan Yarbrough Kershaw replaced and the Rockies dumped a single with four hits for three innings, and the Dodgers rallied for 2-1 victory on Max MuncieA solo home run in the seventh and a bases-loaded walk in the eighth.
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Brusdar Graterol retired the team up in the ninth for his fifth save as the Dodgers (68-46) extended their winning streak to five and won for the ninth time in 10 games.
“It was great to come back — it’s no fun sitting on the sidelines,” said Kershaw, a 10-4 with a 2.51 ERA in 17 starts. “You just want to be there, you want to be a part of what’s going on here. … We’re playing great. We’re first. We’re doing a lot of things well. Obviously, October, you want to be a part of that more than any thing else “.
Kershaw threw only 67 pitches, 45 for strikeouts, but both he and Director Dave Roberts He thinks the five-inning effort was a good first step after Kershaw has thrown simulated three- and four-inning games in the past week and a half. The goal next time will be to play at least six innings.
“I’m not going to lie, I was holding my breath a little bit the whole trip, but it was amazing,” said Roberts. “There was a little bit of looking for the slider, in my opinion, but he wasn’t nervous all night. I thought he stayed in his delivery. His rhythm was good. And his curveball and fastball were good.”
Muncie said he felt a different kind of energy in the clubhouse in the hours leading up to the game and in the dugout in the minutes leading up to the first game. the reason? No. 22, team Three-time National League Cy Young Award Winner, he’s back.
Mansi said: “When he starts his day, it is a special day.” “Everyone is excited to go out there and play behind him.”
It’s also easier for Roberts to have Kershaw on the mound than to have him next to him in the dugout.
“He just expects so much of himself that when he’s not available, it really bothers him,” said Roberts. “He’s not the most flattering guy when he’s unhealthy. Now that he’s active, I think we all feel better.”
The Dodgers, who finished second in baseball in runs and homers and averaged 7.3 runs batted in their previous nine games, gave Kershaw a bit of a boost, but they did get the win with a long ball and some small balls.
The score was tied 1-1 when the pinch hitter David Peraltawho won Wednesday’s game in Arizona With a two-port clutch, two-run single in the eighth inning, he drove off from the bottom of the eighth with a walk off reliever Tommy Doyle.
Peralta was erased on fielder Jason Heyward’s pick, but Mookie Betts lined a single to right center field to advance Heyward to third. Colorado manager Bad Black replaced Doyle with right fielder Daniel Bard, who walked Freddie Freeman to load the bases with another.
Will Smith followed that up with a pinch hit to left center field, but the Rockies’ Ezequiel Tovar raced back and made a terrific over-the-shoulder catch for the second out. Muncy then took a 3rd-and-1 sinker and entered for the fourth, forcing Heyward to home a run that gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
“There are many different ways to win a match, and that last inning proved it for us,” said Muncey. “We had a group of guys who are good at bats and trying to put a few things together and not let the moment get too big.”
Rockies left-hander Ty Blach, a specialist at sinker with an unorthodox, fast delivery, sank the Dodgers with two hits through six innings before sliding a full count up and into Muncy, who hit a towering homer to right field—his 28th of the season— To drive to the tail of the seventh, tying the score at 1-1.
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“I was trying to hide it,” Mansi said. “The plunger was doing really well tonight, and he was locating, and I kept hitting him in the ground on the right side. So I was trying to hide it and try to make something happen.”
Muncie said he doesn’t consider himself an all-or-nothing hitter, but his baseline tells a different story — he has more homers (28) than singles (26) this season.
Mansi said: “Yes, it’s strange.” “Obviously, I would never complain about creepers, but I’m not proud of it.”
Kershaw scraps a Rockies lineup that’s been hollowed out by CJ Cron and Randal Grichuk leaving the trade deadline on two-strokes through four innings, chugging a 74-mph curve and Iliuris Montero looking at a rare 85-mph changeup to finish second and sack the batter in the order in the fourth.
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He needed just four pitches to back off Trejo and Toglia on ground balls for the first two innings of the fifth, but he left an 85-mph slider up and onto the outside half of the plate for Montero, who pushed it 396 feet to left center. A fielding winger for his fourth homer of the season and a 1-0 Colorado lead.
“It’s good to be at Dodger Stadium again — I don’t take these opportunities for granted,” said Kershaw, 35. “Getting through five (innings) is good, and I hope the leash continues as I progress and I get back to my normal pitch count here soon.”
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This story originally appeared Los Angeles Times.
