Los Angeles Dodgers veteran Clayton Kershaw will look to regain his top form when he takes on the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
Kershaw has made two starts since returning from shoulder surgery in the offseason. He allowed two runs in four innings against the San Francisco Giants on July 25, then gave up seven runs (three earned) in 3 2/3 innings during a loss to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.
Another cause for concern was that 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 17 seasons in 424 regular-season starts.
“I just wasn’t able to function properly,” Kershaw said, insisting there was nothing wrong physically. “I wasn’t able to throw anything I wanted to, where I wanted to. Overall disappointing.”
Even when Kershaw struggled with shoulder issues last season, he still managed to post a 13-5 record with a 2.46 ERA in 24 regular-season starts. The Dodgers still believe those kinds of results will continue.
“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 rely on his track record against the National League’s best Phillies. His ERA in 16 career regular-season starts against Philadelphia is 2.76 and his record is 4-6.
Looking to gain a lead over the Phillies, the Dodgers took the NL’s second-best record into the series opener on Monday and eventually won 5-3.
The win included home runs from Teoscar Hernández and Shohei Ohtani, as well as the return of Freddie Freeman, who missed eight games due to being on a breathing machine for some time because his 3-year-old son was ill.
Freeman, who went 1-4 in his return, was given a standing ovation before his first at-bat.
“I can’t thank the fans enough. I really can’t,” Freeman said.
The Phillies will field left-hander Christopher Sanchez (7-7, 3.36 ERA) on Tuesday. Sanchez, a first-time All-Star this season, had a poor showing on Wednesday, giving up six runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings during a loss to the New York Yankees.
In five starts in July, Sanchez went 1-4 with a 6.59 ERA, but the only win came against the Dodgers in Philadelphia on July 10. In that contest, the only start of his career against Los Angeles, he allowed two runs on five hits in six innings.
As the Phillies have lost seven of their last eight games, their lead in the NL has shrunk to a half-game over the Dodgers.
The Phillies managed a hit against all three Dodgers relievers in the final three innings on Monday, but moved to 1-5 with runners in scoring position in a 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 home series last month.
“I think we’re playing hard right now. I think we’re just in a tough spot,” Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos said. “But I will say, our dugout was great (Monday). We had our full focus on the field. … We were in the competition. It was a good baseball game. A few things here, a few things there and it changes.”
–Field Level Media
