The Los Angeles Dodgers have grown accustomed to life with Clayton Kershaw, but this season marked the first time injury prevented him from being included on the Opening Day roster. It snapped Kershaw’s franchise record of consecutive starts in a season opener at eight.
Hyun-Jin Ryu filled in admirably on Opening Day, the Dodgers set a record with eight home runs, and were off and running. They opened the 2019 MLB season 8-2 before enduring a six-game losing streak.
Kershaw returned in relatively short order and has logged a quality start in each of his four outings this season. His latest came against the San Diego Padres, who jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind home runs by Manny Machado and Ian Kinsler.
It was all Kershaw wound up allowing as he recorded six strikeouts over six innings. His ability to keep the Dodgers in the game paid off as they scored four unanswered runs in a ninth comeback win.
That prompted to Kershaw to praise the Dodgers’ relentless approach that’s helped propel them to a tie for most wins at 21, via SportsNet LA:
“Great. Obviously every team can get better at something, but I think for the most part we’re doing a great job. I love our fight, I love our compete. It sounds kind of cliché but you can really see it. Our team doesn’t really give in, doesn’t give away at-bats, our pitchers don’t give in — good or bad — keep going. It’s the sign of a good team, a sign of an experienced team that knows it can come back from stuff.”
Chris Taylor’s solo home run in the fifth inning and Corey Seager’s sacrifice fly in the sixth cut the Dodgers’ deficit to 3-2 before Kershaw exited. Austin Barnes’ home run — his fourth this season to match last year’s total — tied the game in the seventh inning.
Barnes’ leadoff double in the ninth and heads-up baserunning allowed him to score the winning run on Max Muncy’s infield single.
Kershaw touting the Dodgers’ competitiveness and confidence is a sentiment that’s shared by MLB executives. In a recent poll, the Dodgers were voted as the best team in baseball, standing as the lone National League club to receive such votes.
