Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw stumbles in 7-1 loss to Cardinals
Theories were thrown around in the manager’s office about why Clayton Kershaw pitched the way he pitched on Thursday night.
He hadn’t pitched in a week. He is only 22 years old.
Kershaw didn’t accept either explanation. He also said the heat and humidity of St. Louis didn’t affect him.
“Has nothing to do with it,” he said.
Kershaw lasted only 4 1/3 innings in the Dodgers’ first game out of the All-Star break, a 7-1 defeat by the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
Games like this had become rare for the Dodgers’ ace-in-the-making, as he posted a 2.20 earned-run average over his last 12 starts heading into the midseason intermission.
Kershaw had fewer strikeouts than he had in any of his previous 69 career starts: one. He gave up five runs and eight hits.
In every inning he pitched, the leadoff batter reached base. He walked the first two hitters he faced, this after walking only 26 batters in the 81 2/3 innings he pitched over his last dozen starts. He didn’t walk a single batter in two of his previous three appearances.
“Hadn’t pitched in a week,” Torre said. “I think I have to chalk it up to that because his last outing was outstanding. Again, you go back to the 22-year-old stuff. It’s something that you have to understand is going to happen from time to time.”
Kershaw threw his bullpen session Sunday. He said he had a 15-pitch mound session Tuesday.
“I didn’t stop throwing,” he said. “Monday, I took the day off. Tuesday and Wednesday I threw at home. You can’t blame it on that.”
The problem was command, as Kershaw reverted to his early-season form, when he was averaging more than seven walks per nine innings.
“I was out of rhythm early,” he said. “I was bouncing my fastball. It was tough on” catcher Russell Martin.
The Cardinals scored two runs in the first inning on a single by Albert Pujols and a forceout by Matt Holliday.
The two-run cushion was enough for Chris Carpenter, who held the Dodgers to a run and four hits over eight innings.
“Pitching against a guy like Carpenter, it’s pretty much an uphill battle from there,” Kershaw said.
The start was Carpenter’s best since he was hit on his right forearm by a line drive from Kelly Johnson of Arizona on June 28.
The Cardinals scored twice more in the fourth inning and added a run in the fifth.
But there were some positive elements for the Dodgers.
Andre Ethier hit his 15th home run and was two for four to raise his average over his last 11 games to .419.
And the Dodgers had a lighter moment in their early workout, which had Torre laughing as he recalled it later.
When the Dodgers started fielding practice for pitchers, standing at the front of the line was Hong-Chih Kuo. In the All-Star game, Kuo fielded a grounder by Joe Mauer and threw the ball far above first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, starting a sequence of events that led to the American League’s taking a 1-0 edge. (The National League came back to win, 3-1.)
In the drill, Kuo fielded a similar grounder. This time, his throw was on target.
“Everyone gave him a round of applause,” Torre said.
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