by Jeff Snider 09/20/2022, 5:59 AM 5 Comments
The Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks, 5-2, on Monday night to clinch a first-round bye in the National League playoffs. Clayton Kershaw allowed just one run in six innings, while the Dodgers scored five runs off Merrill Kelly in six innings. It was Kelly’s fifth start against the Dodgers this season and his fifth loss. He’s 12-2 with a 2.38 ERA against the rest of the league.
All you need to know about Merrill Kelly against the Dodgers this year is that he allowed five earned runs in six innings tonight and his ERA against L.A. for the season went *down* to 8.25.
— Jeff J. Snider (@snidog) September 20, 2022
Kershaw’s ERA is down to 2.39 for the season, and his 94 pitches were the most he’s thrown since returning from the injured list.
In the bottom of the second inning, Joey Gallo got the Dodgers’ first hit off Kelly, and it was one of those hits that makes you say “Whoa.”
JOEY GALLO OBLITERATED THIS BALL. pic.twitter.com/zZTQYhq0Pp
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 20, 2022
Gallo’s home run was hit 110.2 mph off the bat at a launch angle of 33 degrees, and it feels like the official distance of 437 feet might be a mile or two short. It was Gallo’s sixth homer in 102 plate appearances since coming to Los Angeles.
Gallo struck again in the fourth inning, following Max Muncy’s double with an RBI single to put the Dodgers up 2-0. Gallo went to second on an error in the outfield, and Gavin Lux followed with a single to right. Third-base coach Dino Ebel threw up a late stop sign, but the throw came all the way to home, allowing Lux to take second base. It was one of three hits for Lux on the night, his first big game since returning from his neck problem.
Chris Taylor followed with what was originally called a two-run double on fan interference in left field, but a replay showed that while the fan in question tried to catch the ball on the fly, he completely whiffed, allowing the ball to bounce off the top of the wall and into the fan’s sternum. Thus, it was a three-run homer rather than a two-run double, and the fan had a bruised chest but didn’t get kicked out of the stadium for interference. Oh, and the Dodgers had a 5-0 lead.
CT for three! pic.twitter.com/zc8uT668vI
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 20, 2022
Kershaw went six innings and allowed just one run, and that run almost didn’t score. With runners on first and third and one out, Max Muncy fielded a grounder and threw to Gavin Lux for an out, but Lux’s relay to Freddie Freeman was just a hair late.
The Dodgers challenged the play, but New York could not definitively say the throw beat the runner. In the end, the run scored, and Freeman did the splits for nothing.
Overall, Kershaw had 10 strikeouts and no walks in six innings, lowering his ERA to 2.39 for the season.
Clayton Kershaw: 6 innings, 10 Ks, 0 walks. This is the 27th time in his career he has struck out at least 10 batters in a game with no walks.
Craig Kimbrel came on in a non-save situation in the ninth inning, and after a leadoff single, he hit the next two batters to load the bases with no outs, bringing up Sergio Alcantara, who hit the walkoff homer off Kimbrel last Wednesday.
This time, Alcantara hit a laser up the middle, and Lux made a diving stab on a short hop. He flipped to Trea Turner for a force out at second, then Turner went to third for a tag out at third. A run scored, but at the end of the play there were two outs and just a runner on first. Kimbrel got Daulton Varsho to pop up to Freeman, and the game was over.
The Dodgers and DBacks continue their five-game series with a doubleheader on Tuesday. Michael Grove and Ryan Pepiot will piggyback the first game, while new dad (and America’s Stepdad®) Tyler Anderson will take the ball in game two.
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I hope they leave Kimblow off the post season roster.
Kimbrel coming out of the bull pen is like having gasoline delivered to a house on fire.
Jeff, Is there any way to convince Roberts to stop using Kimbrel?
What happened to my comment?
Kershaw just being Kershaw, another great outing. The other CK, not so great. Enough !!! The audition is over. Hit, Hbp, Hbp, to start the inning. No room on roster for that kind of reliever.
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