Clayton Kershaw day by day: This one goes to 11

Clayton Kershaw’s lone career start on June 6 was one of the best starts of his career.

The Dodgers hosted the Cardinals on June 6, 2015, the penultimate game of a four-game weekend series at Dodger Stadium.

Kershaw was very stingy in this one, allowing only four batters to reach base, never more than one in an inning. He hit a batter, walked two, and allowed just one hit, a single.

After walking Yadier Molina in the fifth inning, Kershaw retired his final 11 batters faced. He struck out four in that stretch and 11 for the game, the 33rd double-digit strikeout game of his career.

Kershaw in his career has allowed zero or one hit in at least five innings nine different times in his career. Only three of those lasted at lease eight innings: this game, Kershaw’s no-hitter, and Kershaw’s 13-strikeout division-clinching shutout in San Francisco in 2015.

Kershaw posted a game score of 89 in this one, something he’s bested in only eight other starts in his career.

From my game recap:

Kershaw’s eight innings marked his longest start of the season, and tied Mike Bolsinger for the longest start by a Dodgers pitcher this season. Kershaw has lasted at least seven innings in each of his last four starts, allowing six total runs during that span, with 35 strikeouts and five walks in 29⅓ innings during that span.

The outing (W, 5-3): 8 IP, 1 hit, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts

Up next: A pair of sevens on June 7