Clayton Kershaw strikes out 9 in Dodgers’ 6-0 win over Reds

Clayton Kershaw stated he knew he needed to do his half to cease the bleeding.

Following two straight walk-off losses, the three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and former league MVP pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out 9 because the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds 6-0 on Thursday afternoon to snap a four-game shedding streak and keep away from a collection sweep.

“Offense did it again today,” Kershaw stated. “Six early runs, so, as the starting pitcher, you’ve got to make that hold up. It was very similar to the last game I pitched against the Yankees (June 2). They (Dodgers hitters) gave me a bunch of runs early, so I just tried to pound the zone as best I can and today it worked out.”

Kershaw (8-4, 2.95 ERA) scattered 5 hits and walked two, Chris Taylor hit his tenth dwelling run of the season and Los Angeles improved to 10-3 in opposition to Cincinnati relationship again to September 2021.

“It seems like every time Clayton’s taking the mound, it’s a must-win,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts stated. ”(It looks like) he’s obtained to go deep and canopy innings. Well, he did simply that.

“For him to get through seven (innings) and for us to use one reliever today was enormous.”

PHOTOS: Clayton Kershaw strikes out 9 in Dodgers’ 6-0 win over Reds

The Dodgers struck first within the third, scoring three runs in opposition to Reds starter Graham Ashcraft (3-5, 6.78 ERA). The right-hander plunked each James Outman and Mookie Betts. Outman later got here round to attain on a base hit by Freddie Freeman.

Ashcraft walked the bases loaded for David Peralta, who introduced dwelling two extra on a line drive to heart discipline. Ashcraft was pulled after 48 pitches. Reds supervisor David Bell stated he tweaked his calf.

“Graham wasn’t feeling it while he was making his pitches. He felt it walking around,” Bell stated. “I knew he wouldn’t be able to go much deeper in the game than we did.”

Los Angeles seized a 4-0 lead within the fourth on a 401-foot dwelling run to heart by Taylor off Cincinnati reliever Fernando Cruz.

The Dodgers added two extra runs within the body, as Austin Barnes doubled in Outman, who reached on a stroll, and Barnes crossed dwelling plate on a sacrifice fly by Freeman.

After batting left-handed in his fist two huge league video games, Elly De La Cruz switched to the opposite facet of the plate to face Kershaw. De La Cruz hit an infield single after which collected his first stolen base within the majors.

“I hadn’t seen him hit right-handed yet, so I didn’t have much of a game plan to go off of,” Kershaw stated of the 6-foot-5 slugger, who made his major-league debut Tuesday. “I just tried to make some pitches. He’s a good player, though.”

Kershaw confronted De La Cruz once more within the sixth. With runners on the corners and no outs, De La Cruz drew an computerized ball on account of a pitch-clock violation by Kershaw. Kershaw then threw three straight strikes, together with a nasty breaking ball on the final one, to ship De La Cruz swinging again to the dugout.

“We’ve seen Kershaw quite a bit,” Bell stated. “He had different shapes on his slider. We really didn’t have an answer for it. We give him a lot of credit. To find ways to improve at this point in his career is very impressive.”

De La Cruz obtained yet one more at-bat within the eighth, this time in opposition to reliever Tayler Scott. He struck out swinging on the fifth pitch. De La Cruz completed the day 1 for 4 with three strikeouts.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: Scott was recalled, whereas RHP Noah Syndergaard was positioned on the 15-day injured checklist with a blister on his proper index finger. Roberts stated Syndergaard can be out not less than “a few weeks” to each heal and get away from baseball to “reset” bodily, mentally and emotionally. Catcher Austin Barnes underwent X-rays on his proper hand after being hit by a pitch within the eighth. Roberts stated the harm “didn’t look good and didn’t sound good.”

Reds: RHP Hunter Greene stays on tempo to start out Sunday in St. Louis, Bell stated. Greene hasn’t pitched since June 1 on account of stiffness in his proper hip.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: Los Angeles heads to Philadelphia on Friday to open a three-game collection in opposition to the Phillies. RHP Michael Grove (0-2, 8.14 ERA) will lead the Dodgers in opposition to LHP Ranger Suárez (1-2, 5.47 ERA) and the defending NL champions.

Reds: RHP Ben Lively (3-3, 3.03 ERA) will get the ball Friday night time when Cincinnati begins a three-game set in St. Louis. LHP Jordan Montgomery is scheduled to start out for the last-place Cardinals, who’re 13-16 at dwelling this season.