Spring training: Dodgers 3, Mariners 3
The Dodgers finished in a 3-3 tie with the Seattle Mariners in a Cactus League game on Wednesday at Peoria Stadium.
ON THE MOUND: The first inning of Clayton Kershaw’s last Cactus League outing did not go well. He required 33 pitches as he gave up two runs on a pair of walks and a pair of hits. Kershaw found his rhythm for the next two innings, in which only one batter reached base, this time on a fielding error by minor league third baseman Mike Ahmed. “I’m thankful it doesn’t count,” Kershaw said. “This one is always hard, the last one of spring training. Trying to get out of here, trying to do all that stuff. A lot of distractions. No excuses, but I’m thankful it’s over.” Kershaw finished the spring with a 2.63 earned-run average. On Monday, he will make his seventh consecutive opening-day start.
AT THE PLATE: The hitters did not abide by the getaway mandate of impatience. After a first-inning single by Yasmani Grandal, Scott Van Slyke and Ike Davis both took walks. Tyler Holt drove in a run with a single. An inning later, Chris Taylor walked against Seattle pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma and scored on a single by Grandal. “Iwakuma and I both weren’t doing the game any favors with our pace,” Kershaw said. Holt scored another run in the eighth inning after a double by Ahmed.
EXTRA BASES: The Dodgers signed former All-Star pitcher Jair Jurrjens to a minor league contract. Jurrjens, 31, has not pitched in the majors since 2014. He played in China last year. He appeared with Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. … Corey Seager is still scheduled to meet the team at Dodger Stadium for Saturday’s game. He will take at-bats on the minor league side to ramp up his readiness after missing most of the Cactus League because of stiffness in an oblique. “He feels like he’s making progress,” Manager Dave Roberts said. “He feels good. He’s getting comfortable in the batter’s box, which is good.”
UP NEXT: Angels at Angel Stadium, 7 p.m. Thursday. TV: SportsNet LA, Channel 13. Radio: 570, 830.
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