Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
In an almost Hanley Ramirez-esque turn of events, Clayton Kershaw lost his possible final start against the Giants on a defensive miscue, as the Dodgers fall 2-1 in an otherwise meaningless game.
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Kershaw finishing the season and potentially his regular season career against the Giants is obviously pretty fitting, and as usual he was effective against them.
In the 3rd, he coughed up the game’s first run on a Tyler Fitzgerald homer.
He's Fitzing right in pic.twitter.com/iNgEyShqDW
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) October 1, 2023
In the 6th, he gave up another, though it wasn’t really deserved. Sure, there were back-to-back walks to start things, but he got a pair of grounders to third that both could’ve been double plays and only got one out from it. The big mistake was booting the second for an error that allowed the run to score and make it 2-1.
5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 83 Pitches
Clayton Kershaw's five strikeouts in maybe … you know. pic.twitter.com/GzbqzB1vbH
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) October 1, 2023
That was it for Kershaw and Michael Grove entered to get the next two outs and escape trouble. He continued in the 7th by making his playoff pitch and getting an impressive clean frame.
Then Caleb Ferguson followed with 1-2-3 frame of his own that included two strikeouts to close the book on the Giants for the day.
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Meanwhile, just like old times, the Dodgers offense struggled for Kershaw. After stranding runners in scoring position in the 1st and 3rd, they broke through in the 5th behind a David Peralta double and then Mookie Betts single with one out.
Tie it up, Mookie! pic.twitter.com/Vr352Wfyi1
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 1, 2023
A Freddie Freeman single followed to put another RISP, but that was stranded as well. The 7th saw another runner stranded, and they didn’t really threaten after that.
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The season finale will be tomorrow at 9:05 AM HT/12:05 PM PT/3:05 PM ET with Bobby Miller taking the mound against Kyle Harrison.
