We have two starts by Clayton Kershaw on July 21, with the Dodgers splitting the pair, five years apart.
First up was in Washington D.C. in 2013, and Kershaw was in complete control in this one. He allowed only two hits in seven innings, both solo home runs by Jayson Werth.
From my game recap: “He struck out nine and walked none in his seven innings, and his major league leading ERA rose to 2.01. But that was more than enough for Kershaw to earn his ninth win of the season.”
This game was also memorable for Matt Kemp, who homered in his first game off the injured list with a shoulder injury, was jogging down the line from third base on a grounder in the ninth inning of a 9-2 game, then lunged at the last moment and sprained his ankle. Kemp missed nearly three months.
Kershaw in July 2013 allowed seven runs in six starts, a 1.34 ERA to go with 43 strikeouts and only two walks.
On July 21, 2018 the Dodgers were in Milwaukee, and gave Kershaw two runs in the top of the first inning.
Kershaw looked like he might make it hold up for a while. He allowed a run in the second but was up 2-1 entering the sixth inning, with no walks and just 69 pitches through five. But then things went awry.
From Craig Minami’s game recap:
In the sixth, Christian Yelich tied the game with a solo home run to start the sixth inning. With two out, Ryan Braun scored when Muncy could not field Manny Piña’s chopper. that gave the Brewers their first lead of the game. Broxton than doubled home Piña to make it 4-2.
Kershaw was done after six innings, and the Dodgers never scored after the first inning.
In these two July 21 starts, Kershaw is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA.
The outings
2013 (W, 9-6): 7 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs, 9 strikeouts
2018 (L, 3-5): 6 IP, 7 hits, 4 runs (1 earned), 5 strikeouts
Up next: Real baseball. This will be the last Clayton Kershaw daily for the time being. With the regular season starting in a couple days, there is too much going on to keep this series up. We got through 210 of Kershaw’s 347 regular season game, plus six All-Star appearances.