Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw is rocked in 11-6 loss to the Brewers
For all the debate about the Dodgers’ using 20-something rookie pitchers on the back end of their rotation, there’s still the matter of 22-year-old Clayton Kershaw, one of their “established” starting pitchers.
The left-hander, facing a Milwaukee Brewers team that had just been shut out three times in four games, simply fell apart in the second inning Tuesday and the Dodgers were buried before the game barely had started.
When it ended with an 11-6 Brewers win, Kershaw long had left the field and the smidge of momentum that the Dodgers (11-15) generated by winning their three previous games had all but vanished with him.
The game also pointed up that while Kershaw (1-2) is viewed as one of the three mainstays of the rotation, along with Hiroki Kuroda and Chad Billingsley, he’s still young, developing and susceptible to inconsistent outings.
Indeed, Kershaw began the game with a 3.07 earned-run average and had given up only two runs in his prior start. But against Milwaukee, he gave up seven earned runs and five hits — including a three-run double by Ryan Braun and a two-run home run by Prince Fielder — in only 11/3 innings.
Even those numbers didn’t paint a full picture of Kershaw’s debacle. He also hit two batters, threw one pitch over catcher Russell Martin’s head that hit the backstop, walked two others and threw only 57 pitches before Manager Joe Torre pulled him.
“It was kind of a snowball effect,” Kershaw said. “It stings, it hurts, I didn’t give our team any kind of chance. It’s just not a good feeling to let your teammates down, to let everybody down. But it’s one game.”
To make matters worse for the Dodgers, Ramon Ortiz, who took over for Kershaw, gave up a two-run home run to Gregg Zaun, giving Milwaukee a nine-run second inning.
It was the first time that the Dodgers had surrendered nine runs in an inning since June 11, 2002, when it happened in Tampa Bay against the Rays.
Meanwhile, Brewers starter Chris Narveson (2-0) kept the Dodgers largely at bay, giving up three earned runs and four hits in six innings. But James Loney hit a three-run home run over the center-field fence against Manny Parra in the eighth inning.
Kershaw opened the second inning by walking Corey Hart, hitting Zaun on the hands and giving up a single to Alcides Escobar.
Rickie Weeks singled to load the bases and Kershaw hit Carlos Gomez, scoring Zaun. Braun hit his double to clear the bases and Milwaukee had a 5-0 lead. Fielder then hammered his home run into the right-field pavilion, making it 7-0.
Kershaw “just didn’t have the command,” Torre said. “He just couldn’t throw the ball where he wanted to. We all have to keep in mind how young he is and what limited experience he has, and understand that this is going to happen every once in a while.”
Carlos Monasterios, 24, who came out of the bullpen and made his first major league start Saturday, was used in relief again Tuesday and gave up one earned run in two innings. So was knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, who gave up one earned run in four innings.
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