LOS ANGELES ― As Clayton Kershaw walked off the mound to end the eighth inning Sunday, the announced crowd of 46,315 at Dodger Stadium stood to applaud. Kershaw had struck out 13 Chicago Cubs hitters while allowing just four hits and a run. It was a vintage performance ― and nearly a vintage salute.
Home plate umpire Ryan Blakney stopped Kershaw on his way back to the Dodgers’ dugout. The compulsory inspection of Kershaw’s hat, glove and belt passed quickly. Cheers turned to boos. Blakney handed Kershaw his hat, and the pitcher ironically tipped it to the crowd.
There was rarely a moment when the Dodgers could not enjoy their 7-1 win. Zach McKinstry hit a grand slam in the second inning. Four batters later, Cody Bellinger hit a two-run homer of his own. With the 33-year-old Kershaw turning back the clock, the victory was seldom in doubt.
Kershaw needed 101 pitches to complete eight innings, a season high. He had not struck out 13 batters in a start since July 2017. All 13 of his strikeouts came on sliders or curveballs ― more than any pitcher since Kershaw himself when he no-hit the Colorado Rockies in June 2014.
“It’s hard to imagine him being any better,” Manager Dave Roberts said.
The Dodgers (47-31) have won three straight games since they were held hitless by the Cubs in a 4-0 loss Thursday. They are 3 ½ games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants (50-27) in the National League West, with a chance to gain ground when the Giants visit for a two-game series beginning Monday.
Kershaw (9-7) allowed a solo home run to Javier Baez in the fourth inning but otherwise stayed out of trouble. He walked only one batter and lowered his earned-run average from 3.43 to 3.25.
Thanks to a rare 4 p.m. start, Kershaw pitched as shadows crept over portions of the field. He induced 26 swings and misses in all.
“I think starting pitching is a little contagious at times, I really do,” Kershaw said. “It’s hard to describe. As a staff, other than (Dustin May) not being here we’ve had the same 5 or 6 guys in the rotation now. We kind of feed off each other. That’s the great thing about having continuity there. Sometimes it just happens. Sometimes it gets contagious, good or bad.”
“Julio (Urías) threw the ball really well yesterday. We’re excited about Trevor (Bauer) and Walker Buehler going against the Giants.”
Kershaw’s uneven 2021 season has raised questions about his stature relative to the game’s elite pitchers. His early-career peak included three Cy Young Awards, one MVP award, and eight All-Star Game appearances. He went 4-1 during the 2020 postseason. April 1 in Colorado, Kershaw started on Opening Day for the ninth time.
But that assignment didn’t go well for Kershaw, who allowed six runs in 5 ⅔ innings. He hadn’t lost seven games in a single season since 2015 until Tuesday in San Diego. On May 4, the left-hander allowed four runs in one inning ― the shortest start of his career ― against the same Cubs team he faced Sunday.
By the end of the first inning, Vintage Kershaw announced his presence. He struck out Willson Contreras on three pitches to begin the game, and needed only 13 pitches to finish the inning.
“I think there’s always times you have good first innings and things go awry,” Kershaw said. “Anytime you get a 1-2-3 inning in the first and get things going, it’s a good thing. I felt good after that.”
McKinstry, who got the start in left field with a right-handed pitcher (Adbert Alzolay) on the mound for Chicago, had two of the Dodgers’ eight hits as a team. So did third baseman Justin Turner.
McKinstry said he’d never hit a grand slam before Chris Taylor and Gavin Lux drew full-count walks to load the bases for him in the second inning. McKinstry tagged a 1-and-1 slider from Alzolay (4-7) to right field to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.
Afterward, McKinstry credited a peculiar adjustment at the plate.
“I was closing my eyes on contact,” McKinstry said. “We kind of saw that in San Diego, started working on it, making sure my eyes were opened. It helped. I started seeing the ball a little longer out of the pitcher’s hand.”
Bellinger’s home run was his second in as many days, following his solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday.
Those were just the highlights of what Roberts called “next-level” intent from the Dodgers’ 1 through 8 hitters ― a continuation of the lineup-wide resurgence since Zach Davies and three relievers combined on a no-hitter Thursday.
Kershaw called that game a “wake-up call.” McKinstry said it prompted clubhouse conversations from veterans Albert Pujols and Turner about trusting each other to come through at the plate.
“Having team at-bats, getting a guy over in scoring position, moving him in, scoring him ― things like that,” McKinstry said. “Trying to cross our T’s and dot our I’s.”
