Clayton Kershaw struggled some in his 2023 Cactus League debut but the Los Angeles Dodgers overcame an early deficit to get a walk-off 6-5 win against the Los Angeles Angels. The game was played in front of a sold-out crowd at Camelback Ranch.
The Dodgers are 1-0-1 against the Angels in Cactus League play, and the teams meet again March 26 for the start of a three-game exhibition Freeway Series.
Kershaw surrendered a leadoff home run in the first inning and the Dodgers fell into an early 2-0 hole when Zach Neto added an RBI single. Kershaw faced seven batters in the long inning.
He worked around a walk in the second but gave up a solo home run to Kevin Padlo to lead off the third inning. The Dodgers hoped Kershaw would pitch four innings, which he fell one frame shy of.
Kershaw allowed three runs on five hits and two walks, collected two strikeouts and threw 58 pitches over three innings. His fastball velocity got up to 93 mph in the outing.
Should Kershaw remain on his five-day schedule, it would line him up to start the second game of the regular season.
Andre Jackson followed the left-hander with three scoreless innings. Jackson held the Angels to just two hits and finished with two strikeouts. He’s yet to allow a run in six innings over three relief appearances this spring.
The Dodgers cut into their deficit on Hunter Feduccia’s two-run base hit in the bottom of the fourth inning, and James Outman’s RBI single in the fifth tied the game.
L.A. left the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh and were on the verge of doing so again in the eighth inning. Jorbit Vivas prevented that from happening by delivering a two-run single with two outs to give the Dodgers their first lead of the game.
Minor League pitcher Justin Hagenman gave up the game-tying two-run home run in the ninth inning. The Dodgers loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth and won the game on a walk-off walk. Eddys Leonard was aided by a pitch timer violation called on the Angels that made the count 3-0.
Nevertheless, the Dodgers left 17 on base and were 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Upcoming Dodgers Spring Training schedule
The Dodgers are in split-squad action Saturday as they welcome Chicago Cubs to Camelback Ranch and also face the San Francisco Giants on the road.
Sunday is a road matchup with the Cincinnati Reds and on Monday they host the Cleveland Guardians before reaching another off day.
Are you following Dodger Blue on Instagram? It’s the best way to see exclusive coverage from games and events, get your questions answered, and more!
