Jul 31, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers beginning pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) pitches in the course of the first inning towards the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Obligatory Credit score: David Frerker-USA TODAY Sports activities Los Angeles Dodgers veteran Clayton Kershaw will take one other crack at discovering his high type when he faces the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
Kershaw has made two begins since coming back from offseason shoulder surgical procedure. He allowed two runs in 4 innings towards the San Francisco Giants on July 25, then gave up seven runs (three earned) in 3 2/3 innings throughout a loss to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.
In one other trigger for concern, Kershaw (0-1, 5.87 ERA) didn’t strike out any of the 21 San Diego batters he confronted. It was the primary time he did not file a strikeout in 424 regular-season begins over 17 seasons.
“Simply wasn’t executing,” mentioned Kershaw, who insists there are not any points bodily. “Wasn’t throwing actually something that I wished to, the place I wished to. Irritating total.”
Even when Kershaw was combating via shoulder discomfort final season, he nonetheless managed to ship a 13-5 file with a 2.46 ERA in 24 regular-season begins. The Dodgers nonetheless suppose these sorts of outcomes are forward.
“I feel it is onerous to ever guess towards Clayton,” Los Angeles supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned. “… (His present type is) a part of the method.”
Maybe Kershaw can lean into his monitor file towards the Nationwide League-best Phillies. He has a 2.76 ERA and a 4-6 file in 16 profession regular-season begins towards Philadelphia.
Trying to make floor on the Phillies, the Dodgers introduced the NL’s second-best file into the sequence opener on Monday earlier than ending off a 5-3 victory.
The win included dwelling runs from Teoscar Hernandez and Shohei Ohtani in addition to the return of Freddie Freeman, who missed eight video games whereas his 3-year-old son was unwell and on a respiratory machine for a brief interval.
Freeman, who went 1-for-4 in his return, acquired a standing ovation earlier than his first at-bat.
“I simply can’t actually thank the followers sufficient. I actually cannot,” Freeman mentioned.
The Phillies will ship left-hander Cristopher Sanchez (7-7, 3.36 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday. Sanchez, an All-Star for the primary time this season, is coming off a tough outing Wednesday when he gave up six runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings of a loss to the New York Yankees.
In 5 July begins, Sanchez went 1-4 with a 6.59 ERA, however the one win got here towards the Dodgers at Philadelphia on July 10. In that contest, his solely profession outing towards Los Angeles, he gave up two runs on 5 hits over six innings.
Because the Phillies have misplaced seven of their previous eight video games, their lead atop the NL has been minimize to a half-game over the Dodgers.
The Phillies had successful towards all three Dodgers relievers over the ultimate three innings Monday however went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring place within the sport. They’re simply 4-12 because the All-Star break and look nothing just like the group that swept Los Angeles in a three-game dwelling sequence final month.
“I feel we’re grinding proper now. I feel we’re simply in a funk,” Phillies proper fielder Nick Castellanos mentioned. “However I’ll say, our dugout was superb (Monday). All of our consideration was on the sector. … We have been within the competitors. It was a very good baseball sport. A pair issues right here, a pair issues there and it adjustments.”
–Area Stage Media
