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Recap: Clayton Kershaw Earns 100th Career Win, Kenley Jansen Impresses

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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Clayton Kershaw took the mound Friday night to face the Colorado Rockies for the second time in five days and on his fifth attempt this season to earn career win No. 100. The Los Angeles Dodgers meanwhile were coming off a tough loss and gained the services of Kenley Jansen, who was activated from the 15-day disabled list.



Charlie Blackmon led the game off with a base hit to left-center field. He then moved into scoring position on Kershaw’s wild pitch and took third on Nolan Arenado’s single to left field. Kershaw collected his second strikeout of the game by painting the outside corner against Wilin Rosario and got out of the inning by inducing Carlos Gonzalez to fly out.

After Eddie Butler struck out Joc Pederson on a full count, Jimmy Rollins worked a full count but ended his at-bat in better fashion by hitting a solo home run into the Rockies’ bullpen. Butler quickly found himself in trouble as Howie Kendrick laced a one-out single to right and Adrian Gonzalez drew a walk.

An out on the basepaths hurt the Dodgers for a second consecutive night as Butler picked Kendrick off from second base and Justin Turner promptly followed with a base hit. Butler continued to battle control issues and walked Yasmani Grandal to load the bases before ending the long inning on Andre Ethier’s broken-bat liner.

Drew Stubbs walked with one out in the second inning and was erased on a fielder’s choice that may have been a double play if it weren’t for Kendrick bobbling the throw from Turner. It wouldn’t cost the Dodgers as Kershaw proceeded to strikeout Butler on three pitches.

Butler walked Kershaw with one out in the bottom of the second and put two runners on by plunking Pederson. Rollins was unable to replicate his first-inning success however, as he grounded into an inning-ending double play. Kershaw sat the Rockies down in order in the third, collecting his fourth and fifth strikeouts along the way.

Kendrick ripped a leadoff single by Daniel Descalso, who had just replaced Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop. Kendrick then took third base on Adrian Gonzalez’s chopper that pulled Rosario to his right and his throw over to the bag got by Butler and rolled into the Rockies dugout.

The Dodgers quickly cashed in on the miscue behind Turner’s two-run double down the left field line that extended their lead to 3-0. Turner then came around to score on Ethier’s RBI base hit that split D.J. LeMahieu and Rosario. Butler walked Scott Van Slyke to put two runners on and they both were moved into scoring position on Kershaw’s sacrifice bunt.

The out spelled the end of Butler’s night as he gave way to Yohan Flande, who retired Pederson to get out of trouble and the Dodgers led 4-0 after three innings.

CONTINUE READING: Clayton Kershaw Strikes Out 10, Dodgers Bullpen Allows Game To Get Interesting

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One Comment

  1. You can’t get enough pitching and a healthy Kenley Jansen is just what we need. Welcome back Kenly.

    I haven’t used Disquss to use as a message board, but a little back ground I was moved to L.A. when I was 3 months old in 1953 and somewhere along the line my father took me to the Coliseum and said son, you will become a Dodger Fan. I have followed them the majority of my life.

    MLB.com will not allow me to to read post on my Chomebook, wil let me read them on my iPad and phone and will not let me comment on the post. I’m pretty honest, if you’re bs I’ll call you on it and there is not a single Giant fan anywhere in the world that I like. I switched my eye doctor when he told me he was a Yankee fan. Nice knowing you.

    And I’m being kind today.

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