Something had to give Friday night at AT&T Park Friday night, as the Los Angeles Dodgers entered 11-1 in games Clayton Kershaw started this season, with the San Francisco Giants holding the same mark in Johnny Cueto’s starts.
The game got off to an unusual start as Cueto hit Chase Utley to put the leadoff man on base, then saw Corey Seager reach on an infield single. After both runners advanced on a wild pitch, Cueto went to the windup and was called for balk, allowing the Dodgers to take a 1-0 lead.
Cueto struck out Justin Turner swinging, but Adrian Gonzalez followed with an RBI single. Trayce Thompson also singled to right field, but both runners were stranded by Joc Pederson and Yasmani Grandal.
Kershaw started the bottom of the first with a strikeout of Denard Span on three pitches. He didn’t get out of the inning unscathed, as Matt Duffy turned on an 0-1 pitch for a solo home run hit to left field.
In similar fashion to the last time he faced the Dodgers at AT&T Park, Cueto shook off a rough first inning. He struck out Kiké Hernandez and Kershaw in the second, then got Utley to fly out for a quick 1-2-3 frame.
Kershaw breezed his way through the bottom of the second by striking out the side. Cueto kept the Dodgers off the bases again in the third, running his string of consecutive batters retired to eight.
He was matched by Kershaw in the bottom half of the inning, with the left-handed ace picking up his fifth strikeout of the game en route to protecting the Dodgers’ slim lead.
CONTINUE READING: Kershaw and Cueto duel through eight, Turner hits go-ahead home run
