Dodgers back strong Clayton Kershaw effort to snap 3-game skid

The Dodgers got exactly what they needed from Clayton Kershaw and friends, snapping a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Rockies on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, to pull back to .500 on the young season.

The losing streak looked like it might continue when Kershaw walked — gasp! — his first batter of the game, then saw the Rockies follow with two singles to load the bases with nobody out.

That brought up a very rare baseball situation, with Kershaw pitching to a batter with nowhere to put him. Carlos Gonzalez struck out, then Mark Reynolds flew out to bring home a run for a quick 1-0 Colorado lead.

Those two plate appearances pushed Kershaw’s total with the bases loaded since the start of the 2014 season all the way up to ... just 20. He faced the bases loaded in just three plate appearances in all of 2014, then nine in 2015 and six times last year. Those batters are just 3-for-18 (.167) with a double, a walk, and six strikeouts.

Those two outs were the first of 12 straight retired by Kershaw, who settled down quite nicely. He struck out a season-high 10 in his seven innings, and to put in perspective how great Kershaw has been at home, his second run allowed made Wednesday the first time in 358 days that Kershaw allowed at least two earned runs at Dodger Stadium.

On offense, the Dodgers got production out of a pair of hitters they need to turn things around against left-handed pitchers, with both Kike Hernandez and Scott Van Slyke coming off down years.

Van Slyke got the scoring started with a solo home run against Tyler Anderson in the second inning, his first home run of the season after a 2-for-17 start.

Hernandez has fared better in the early going in 2017, and had a triple and a double on Wednesday night. He drove in one and scored another in the Dodgers’ three-run fifth inning.

Hernandez is 6-for-24 (.250) this season, but every single hit has been for extra bases. He owns a .333 on-base percentage and a .625 slugging percentage.

Chris Taylor, just called up from Oklahoma City, was also a part of that three-run rally, with one of his two doubles on the night.

The Rockies put a pair of runners on the eighth inning against Luis Avilan and Sergio Romo, but Kenley Jansen put out the fire, then finished the game out in the ninth, his second four-out save of the season.

Up next

The Dodgers are off on Thursday, when they will travel to Phoenix to open a road trip with a three-game weekend series against the Diamondbacks. In the opener on Friday night, Alex Wood slots back into the Dodgers rotation, facing Taijuan Walker for Arizona.

Wednesday particulars

Home run: Scott Van Slyke (1)

WP - Clayton Kershaw (3-1): 7 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs, 10 strikeouts

LP - Tyler Anderson (1-3): 5 IP, 6 hits, 4 runs (2 earned), 1 walk, 5 strikeouts

Sv - Kenley Jansen (4): 1⅓ IP, 2 strikeouts