Clayton Kershaw shines in Dodgers win after recent struggles, Sisters comments
When Clayton Kershaw took the mound Friday night, the typically regimented rotation of his world was suddenly spinning upside down.
Off the field, the 35-year-old was under an unusually intense spotlight, thrusting himself into the middle of the Dodgers recent Pride Night controversy after publicly disagreeing with the team’s decision to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — and pushing for the club’s relaunch of Christian Faith and Family Day — earlier in the week.
On the field, the three-time Cy Young Award winner wasn’t in a great space either.
May had been one of the worst months of the left-hander’s career, when he posted a 5.55 ERA in five short starts (he pitched past the fifth inning only once). His command had disappeared, as well, leading to a bevy of walks and barrage of questions about the pitcher’s uncharacteristic form.
Mookie Betts and Clayton Kershaw shine in Dodgers’ win over Yankees
⚾ Dodgers 8, Yankees 4 — FINAL
Top of the ninth: Facing Dodgers reliever Phil Bickford, Anthony Rizzo lined out to first. Bickford walked Giancarlo Stanton. Josh Donaldson then hit his second home run of the game on a 418-foot blast to center field, cutting into the Dodgers’ lead. Bickford struck out Isaih Kiner-Falefa and Anthony Volpe to end the game.
Mookie Betts hit two home runs for the second straight game and Clayton Kershaw provided seven solid innings, striking out nine and holding the Yankees to four hits.
Home runs by Betts and Max Muncy powered the Dodgers to a six-run first inning against Yankees starter Luis Severino.
J.D. Martinez homered in the third inning for his fourth home run in five games and Betts hit his second homer in the sixth. Betts also had two singles and a walk.
Freddie Freeman went 0 for 5 at the plate, ending his 20-game hitting streak.
Yankees star Aaron Judge also went hitless, striking out twice.
Dodgers hold commanding lead heading into the ninth
⚾ Dodgers 8, Yankees 2 — Eighth inning
Top of the eighth: Yency Almonte took over for Clayton Kershaw and walked Jake Bauers. Willie Calhoun popped out to second before Gleyber Torres flied out to center. Aaron Judge lined out to second and is 0 for 4 tonight.
Bottom of the eighth: James Outman popped out and Miguel Rojas lined out. Mookie Betts singled to center for his fourth hit. Freddie Freeman then lined out to short, almost certainly ending his hitting streak at 20 games.
Clayton Kershaw shines as Dodgers hold on to six-run lead
⚾Dodgers 8, Yankees 2 — End of the seventh inning
Top of the seventh: A 1-2-3 inning for Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who has given up four hits, two earned runs, walked one and struck out nine on 96 pitches.
Bottom of the seventh: Yankees reliever Ryan Weber struck out J.D. Martinez. Jason Heyward flied out to center and Miguel Vargas grounded out.
Mookie Betts hits his second home run vs. Yankees tonight
⚾ Dodgers 8, Yankees 2 — End of the sixth inning
Top of the sixth: Clayton Kershaw struck out Aaron Judge for the second time for his eighth strikeout. Anthony Rizzo grounded out and Giancarlo Stanton flied out to center.
Bottom of the sixth: Mookie Betts hit his second home run tonight — his second-straight game with two home runs — on a blast to the left-field corner off Yankees reliever Ryan Weber. It was Betts’ 15th home run of the season. Freddie Freeman flied out to left to fall to 0 for 4, putting his 20-game hitting streak in jeopardy. Will Smith singled on a liner to left before Max Muncy flied out to the warning track in left-center.
Dodgers hold five-run lead heading into the sixth
⚾ Dodgers 7, Yankees 2 — End of the fifth
Top of the fifth: Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Anthony Volpe each grounded out before Jose Trevino sent a sharp liner to center for the Yankees’ fourth hit tonight. Greg Allen walked and Gleyber Torres grounded out to third for the final out.
Bottom of the fifth: Max Muncy flied out and J.D. Martinez lined out against Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle. Jason Heyward picked up his second hit of the game on a double to deep right. Kahnle walked Miguel Vargas, then struck out James Outman to strand two.
Giancarlo Stanton home run cuts into Dodgers’ lead
⚾ Dodgers 7, Yankees 2 — End of the fourth
Top of the fourth: Clayton Kershaw struck out Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo before Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo home run — his fifth of the season — into the left-field pavilion. It was the second home run given up by Kershaw tonight and Stanton’s 10th career home run at Dodger Stadium. Josh Donaldson, who homered off Kershaw in the second, struck out. Kershaw has seven strikeouts on 53 pitches.
Bottom of the fourth: Miguel Rojas grounded out. There was then a brief interruption during Mookie Betts’ at-bat when umpires conferred on the field and then with each team’s manager. SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson reported the umpires were concerned about a laser light being pointed to the field from the reserve deck. Betts walked and Freddie Freeman flied out. Betts then stole second and quickly scampered to third after catcher Jose Trevino’s pickoff throw bounced short and went into center field. Will Smith lined out to first to leave Betts stranded.
J.D. Martinez home run extends Dodgers’ lead in the third
⚾ Dodgers 7, Yankees 1 — End of the third
Top of the third: Jose Trevino lined out to center before Clayton Kershaw racked up his third and fourth strikeouts tonight against Greg Allen and Gleyber Torres.
Bottom of the third: J.D. Martinez homered for the fourth time in his last five games, sending a solo shot over the center-field wall. It was Martinez’s 13th home run of 2023 and the Dodgers’ third home run tonight off Yankees starter Luis Severino. Jason Heyward flied out to right and Miguel Vargas struck out. James Outman flied out to left, ending the inning.
Josh Donaldson home run gets Yankees on the scoreboard
⚾ Dodgers 6, Yankees 1 — End of the second
Top of the second: After Giancarlo Stanton flied out, Josh Donaldson heralded his return from the injured list with a solo home run to center field for his second blast of the season. Clayton Kershaw then struck out Isiah Kiner-Falefa before Anthony Volpe flied out to center.
Bottom of the second: Freddie Freeman lined out, Will Smith grounded out and Max Muncy struck out.
Mookie Betts and Max Muncy each homer in fast start for Dodgers
⚾ Dodgers 6, Yankees 0 — End of the first
Top of the first: Gleyber Torres singled to center on the game’s first pitch before Aaron Judge hit into a 5-4-3 double play on the very next pitch. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw struck out Anthony Rizzo on three pitches to cap the lightning-fast frame.
Bottom of the first: Mookie Betts led with a home run off Yankees starter Luis Severino, sending the ball into the Dodgers’ bullpen. It was Betts’ 14th home run of the season. Freddie Freeman grounded out to second before Will Smith reached first on a single after initially being called out (the call was reversed on video review). Max Muncy then hit his 18th home run of the season on a two-run blast to left field.
J.D. Martinez extended his 16-game hitting streak with a soft, check-swing grounder to third that gave him just enough time to beat Josh Donaldson’s throw to first. Jason Heyward followed with a liner past the pitcher’s mound and into center field for a single. The Dodgers picked up their sixth hit on single to left by Miguel Vargas to load the bases. James Outman followed with a single to center field, scoring Martinez.
Miguel Rojas hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track in center field to plate Jason Heyward for the Dodgers’ fifth run. Betts’ second hit of the game — a single to left — brought home Vargas. The inning mercifully ended for the Yankees when catcher Jose Trevino picked off James Outman at third after the rookie got a bit too greedy with his leadoff during Freddie Freeman’s second at-bat. It took Severino 34 pitches to get out of the inning.
The Dodgers’ big scoring surge shouldn’t be that much of a surprise:
The Dodgers are in the bottom third in batting average in the majors, yet they lead the National League in runs scored.
Despite recent struggles, Noah Syndergaard to make next start for Dodgers
Noah Syndergaard’s Dodgers tenure will last at least one more start.
The struggling right-hander will start Wednesday in Cincinnati, manager Dave Roberts said, with the team keeping Syndergaard in its rotation despite his 6.54 ERA and 11 earned runs in his last two starts.
“When he makes that start, I’m gonna feel the same way I do every time he takes the mound,” Roberts said. “That he’s going to pitch well and it’s gonna turn.”
After Syndergaard’s last start on Wednesday — a five-inning, five-run flop against the Washington Nationals — Roberts was noncommittal about the pitcher’s future.
Two days later, though, Roberts said the team evaluated its other options, looked a Syndergaard’s season so far — his first with the club after signing a $13 million deal this offseason — and decided to stick with him for now.
“We’re just trying to continue to bet on him,” Roberts said. “Also, looking at the guys we have on the IL and the potential alternatives, netting it out, this made the most sense.”
Here’s the starting lineup for the Dodgers vs. Yankees
Here’s the starting lineup for the Dodgers against the New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium on Friday night:
Dodgers Dugout: Will Sisters controversy help end Clayton Kershaw’s Dodger career?
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. I try very hard to focus on only on-field issues for the team and not write about political/religious issues, but recent events have made it necessary to write about a topic related to politics/religion today. If you don’t want to read about it, I highly recommend you skip to the next section, titled “The Yanks are coming.”
The Dodgers created a gigantic public relations mess for themselves recently. For their annual Pride Night, they invited and announced they would honor a group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Who are they? Well, taken from their website: “The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are a leading-edge Order of queer and trans nuns. We believe all people have a right to express their unique joy and beauty.... [We] have devoted ourselves to community service, ministry and outreach to those on the edges, and to promoting human rights, respect for diversity and spiritual enlightenment. We use humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit.”
How the Dodgers’ new-look offense formed a juggernaut identity
It hasn’t been a typical recipe for success.
After leading the majors in scoring during their historic 111-win campaign last season, the Dodgers lost three All-Stars in free agency, then their starting shortstop to an injury in spring training.
They filled those voids with unproven rookies, established-but-aging veterans, and other low-cost additions that led to scrutiny over the winter.
Beyond their top three bats — Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Mookie Betts — almost every other hitter in their lineup has slumped through at least some stretch of the season’s first two months, leading to a long list of potentially troubling indicators:
Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season. All times and broadcast/streaming options are subject to change.
