Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Pretty much matching each other inning for inning, Clayton Kershaw and Joe Musgrove combined to keep their other’s team off the board through five innings.
Just two swings plated runs in Saturday’s 2-1 victory for the Los Angeles Dodgers (16-11) against the Pittsburgh Pirates (12-15), with Corey Seager’s two-run single topping Bryan Reynolds’ lone RBI to score Jarrod Dyson.
Kershaw, now 4-0 this season, worked into the eighth inning as the Pirates lineup struggled to put many runners into scoring position. Kershaw struck out seven in his 7 1/3 innings of work, walking just one walk and allowing five hits, none of which went for extra bases.
“I’m just happy to help the team win,” Kershaw told an unfurloughed beat writer of the Los Angeles Chronicle.
Sixth-inning singles by Dyson and Kevin Newman put runners on the corners for Reyonlds, who managed to drive one home before Kershaw worked out of the inning. After Caleb Ferguson’s Friday performance, which was worthy of a Disaster Girls review on @disaster_pod, Blake Treinen closed out the eighth to relieve Kershaw.
While he allowed a double to the first batter he faced (Dyson), Treinen worked out of the inning without giving up the lead. Available again to close out the victory, Kenley Jansen struck out two while needing just 10 pitches in the ninth for his eighth save of the season.
Meanwhile, Musgrove also kept the Dodgers off the scoreboard for most of his outing. Striking out 11 in seven innings, the righty allowed just five hits and one walk as well. However, three came in quick succession during the sixth inning. With Kershaw and Justin Turner both on base, Seager drove both in with what ended up as the game-winning single. Turner finished 2-for-3 with a walk, and the only other Dodgers to do anything were Mookie Botts and Gavin Lux, who also singled.
The game also included Turner’s fourth stolen base of the year, which is starting to seem like another odd quirk of the simulation. Turner has just 26 stolen bases in 754 games as an actual living, breathing Dodger. His four through 27 games is on pace for about … 24 this season, if my math is right.
David Price is back on the mound for the Dodgers on Sunday as he faces Mitch Keller to wrap up the road trip. Also worth noting, the Dodgers optioned Jimmy Nelson to Triple-A and recalled Brusdar Graterol, who had just been sent down after a rough appearance. I think I miss Joe Kelly.
