Clayton Kershaw throws against the Colorado Rockies during a game at Coors Field on Monday, June 1, 2015. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)
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 was 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, Colorado Rockies, Don Mattingly, Los Angeles Dodgers, Nolan Arenado
