Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was masterful once again Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, as he gave up five hits and two runs while striking out 10 and walking one in seven innings of work. His effort helped the Dodgers to a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies, snapping a three-game losing streak.
Kershaw’s outing was another in a stretch of dominant home starts, as in his last 11 regular-season games at Dodger Stadium, he is 10-0 with a 0.65 ERA, 96 strikeouts and six walks. The streak dates back to May 1, 2016.
“I think it’s just combining all the factors,” Kershaw said of the success. “Obviously, this is home, so you’re comfortable here and know what to expect. That’s the beauty of pitching in L.A., perfect weather every time, perfect mound, it’s just kind of a perfect storm with the situation.
“You would hope that you do pitch well in your home park. It just so happens that mine is probably the best place to pitch in baseball.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has witnessed Kershaw’s dominance both with the Dodgers and when he was a coach with the San Diego Padres. “I’ve seen him at Dodger Stadium from the other side, and yeah, he’s dominated the teams I’ve coached on,” Roberts said.
“Now seeing him on the same side, I think part of it is the mound, the routine and comfort level being here,” Roberts said.
While Kershaw also pitches well on the road, he’s been especially dominant at Dodger Stadium throughout his career. The 29-year-old owns a lifetime 1.98 ERA in 140 home starts, compared to 2.82 in 129 games on the road.
Kershaw’s next start will come Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants on the road. In 18 career games at AT&T Park he owns a 1.36 ERA.
