Clayton Kershaw shows how vital he is to L.A. as Dodgers edge Mets
NEW YORK — Over 114 pitches Sunday night at Citi Field, Clayton Kershaw capped one of the most dominant months in a career that only grows in historic significance – and neatly illustrated just how much the Los Angeles Dodgers rely on him.
Kershaw struck out 10 New York Mets over 7 2/3 innings before manager Dave Roberts asked his bullpen to get just four outs and preserve Kershaw’s sixth victory in as many May starts. Alas, Kershaw barely had time to put on his warm-up jacket before lefty reliever Adam Liberatore gave up a game-tying triple to Curtis Granderson.
The Dodgers picked up their ace, rallying for a 4-2 victory on Adrian Gonzalez’s two-run, ninth inning single for their second win in three games here before heading to Chicago for a four-game series with the Cubs.
Kershaw’s record remained at 7-1, but neither Roberts’ iffy managerial decision nor the faulty Dodgers bullpen could sully the three-time Cy Young Award winner’s other achievements in a month that may yet form the backbone of a second MVP campaign.
Thanks to Liberatore allowing an inherited run to score, Kershaw’s ERA actually rose from 1.48 to 1.56. But for the sixth time in 11 starts this year, Kershaw did not walk a batter, and boosted his strikeout-walk mark to 105-5 - an unprecedented achievement. In 2010, Philadelphia's Cliff Lee issued seven walks before his 100th strikeout, the previous best ratio for a pitcher at the 100-strikeout mark.
"It’s a big unfathomable number, (the 105-5) ratio," marveled catcher A.J. Ellis. "It speaks to his commitment to being aggressive in the strike zone. It speaks to his ability to put guys away."
Kershaw finished May 5-0 with a 0.91 ERA, struck out 65 batters and walked just two. The Dodgers are now 10-1 in games he starts – and 17-23 in games he doesn’t start.
Kershaw looked primed for his fourth shutout of the month, retiring 17 of the first 19 Mets he faced until Asdrubal Cabrera lofted a 1-2 curveball just over the wall in left field for a two-out, sixth inning home run, the first Kershaw allowed since April 26.
Other than that, the Mets looked mostly hopeless against Kershaw’s ever-sharpening four-pitch arsenal.
For the second consecutive game, he stranded a leadoff double to start the game, striking out Yoenis Cespedes and Neil Walker to end the first inning and start a streak of 11 consecutive batters retired.
On four occasions, he ran up a three-ball count, but refused to yield just his sixth walk of the season. Twice, he threw full-count sliders out of the strike zone that Cespedes and Juan Lagares chased for strike three.
While Mets manager Terry Collins loaded his lineup with seven right-handed or switch hitters, Kershaw foiled the strategy: He reduced the bottom five spots in the Mets lineup to a 1 for 14 night against him, with six strikeouts.
That lone hit, however, was Kevin Plawecki’s leadoff single on a first-pitch fastball in the eighth. He’d eventually score on Granderson’s triple after Roberts opted for Liberatore rather than leaving in Kershaw – or summoning Kenley Jansen for a four-out save.
"When Clayton’s on the mound, it’s tantalizing to have him finish every game," said Roberts. "He’s never going to be a guy to say, 'I’ve had enough,' whether it’s 110, 120, 130 pitches.
"For a manager, it’s always comforting to have him as a fallback."
Jansen eventually got his 15th save after Gonzalez’s single – and after much heavy lifting, once again, by Kershaw.
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