Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw pitched seven strong innings and had three hits against the Rockies Monday night at Coors Field.
(Jack Dempsey, The Associated Press)
Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has the Rockies’ number.
Let us count the ways:
** He beat them Monday night, pitching seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits, striking out seven and walking one. The Dodgers ultimately romped, 11-4.
His only off moment was the two-run homer Nolan Arenado hammered in the fourth inning.
That’s no sin. After all, Arenado is hitting .438 (14-for-32) with six homers and 16 RBIs in his last eight games. He’s hit a homer in three straight games for the first time in his career.
** In four starts against the Rockies this season, Kershaw is 3-0 with a 3.91 ERA.
** Kershaw is unbeaten in his last nine starts against Colorado, going 8-0 with a 2.62 ERA. His last lost to Colorado was on July 12, 2013.
** Kershaw improved to 16-5 in 30 career starts against the Rockies, his most victories against any club.
** He threw a no-hitter against the Rockies on June 18, 2014 at Dodger Stadium while striking out a career-high 15 batters.
Executing and winning at Coors Field, Kershaw admitted, is not easy. But it is rewarding.
“It’s always a little bit of an extra challenge to pitch here,” he said Monday night. “To come out of it, get a win, keep our team in it long enough for us to score some runs like that, it’s just a good game all around.”
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly was impressed with the movement Kershaw was able to get on his pitches at 5,280 feet.
“He had a good curveball again … Slider at times,” Mattingly said. “Obviously this is a place where you’re not always sure you’re going to have a good curveball. But I thought he was sharp again tonight. I think the runs help you relax a little bit. He’s been throwing the ball well really for a while.”
Kershaw said it is possible to throw an effective curve at Coors Field, but added a caveat to that statement.
“If you throw it right, it’s the same,” he said. “All your pitches are the same, just a smaller margin for error. You don’t get a way with mistakes. Try to keep the ball down as best you can. I got behind a few guys, Nolan is swinging the bat really well right now, he got me on one. Other than that, it was OK.”
Tags: Clayton Kershaw, Don Mattingly, Nolan Arenado
