Jul 31, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) pitches during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Dodgers veteran Clayton Kershaw will get another shot at finding his best form when he faces the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
Kershaw has made two starts since returning from offseason shoulder surgery. He allowed two runs in four innings against the San Francisco Giants on July 25, then allowed seven runs (three earned) in 3 2/3 innings during a loss to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.
In another cause for concern, Kershaw (0-1, 5.87 ERA) did not strike out any of the 21 San Diego batters he faced. It was the first time he failed to record a strikeout in 424 regular-season starts over 17 seasons.
“It just wasn’t working,” said Kershaw, who insists there are no physical issues. “I wasn’t really throwing anything I wanted to, where I wanted to. Overall, it was frustrating.”
Even when Kershaw was battling a shoulder issue last season, he managed to compile a 13-5 record with a 2.46 ERA in 24 regular-season starts. The Dodgers still believe those kinds of results are coming.
“I think it’s hard to bet against Clayton,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. “… (His current form is) part of the process.”
Perhaps Kershaw can build on his track record against the NL’s top-ranked Phillies. He has a 2.76 ERA and a 4-6 record in 16 career regular-season starts against Philadelphia.
Looking to gain ground on the Phillies, the Dodgers brought the National League’s second-best record into the series opener Monday before capping off a 5-3 victory.
The win included home runs by Teoscar Hernandez and Shohei Ohtani, as well as the return of Freddie Freeman, who missed eight games while his 3-year-old son was sick and on a ventilator for a short period.
Freeman, who went 1-for-4 in his return, received a standing ovation before his first at-bat.
“I really can’t thank the fans enough. I really can’t,” Freeman said.
The Phillies will send left-hander Cristopher Sanchez (7-7, 3.36 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday. Sanchez, an All-Star for the first time this season, is coming off a poor outing Wednesday when he allowed six runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings of a loss to the New York Yankees.
In five starts in July, Sanchez went 1-4 with a 6.59 ERA, but his only win came against the Dodgers in Philadelphia on July 10. In that contest, his only career start against Los Angeles, he allowed two runs and five hits in six innings.
As the Phillies have lost seven of their last eight games, their lead atop the National League has shrunk to a half-game over the Dodgers.
The Phillies had one hit against three Dodgers relievers in the final three innings Monday but went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position in the game. They are just 4-12 since the All-Star break and look nothing like the team that swept Los Angeles in a three-game homestand last month.
“I think we’re working hard right now. I think we’re just in a bad spot,” Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos said. “But I will say our dugout was really good (Monday). All our attention was on the field. … We were in the competition. It was a good baseball game. A couple things here, a couple things there and it changes.”
–Field level media
