Clayton Kershaw day by day: Walking in LA

Clayton Kershaw started just once on April 29, and it came 10 years ago today against the Pirates at Dodger Stadium. The start of a four-game weekend series.

The game started with Kershaw walking a pair of prime candidates for Let’s Remember Some Guys, Lastings Milledge and old friend Andy LaRoche, both scoring on a triple by catcher Ryan Doumit.

Doumit played 10 years in the big leagues and hit seven triples. He also stole 12 bases, including one later in this game off Kershaw and Russell Martin. What a time to be alive.

This was early Kershaw, in his third season in the majors, so walks were a problem. His fourth free pass of the game was his undoing. From my game recap:

Kershaw pitched into the seventh inning, and allowed only two runs, but he was lifted after his 117th pitch, a walk to the relief pitcher Jack Taschner (in his sixth career plate appearance). Kershaw has walked four pitchers this season, two more than anyone else in baseball.

Kershaw finished his April with 22 walks, his most in any month. His only other month with over 18 walks was May 2009, with 21 walks in six starts. These April 2010 walks came in only five starts, with no fewer than three in any outing.

It was the Dodgers offense that deserved the most ire in this game though, losing to a pitcher (Brian Burres) who threw more balls than strikes. The Dodgers managed just three singles and a double in the game, along with Burres’ four walks, but never plated a run.

My game recap also produced a fun photo and caption, the result of Kershaw trying to advance to second on a ball in the dirt after walking in the third inning.

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The outing (L, 1-1): 6⅓ IP, 3 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts

Up next: A rare day without a Kershaw start on April 30, so we’ll pick things up on Friday with a four-start May Day.