Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Clayton Kershaw is expected to return to the Dodgers’ rotation on Friday against the Miami Marlins. The rookie right-hander allowed four runs on six hits with nine strikeouts and zero walks in six innings as the Dodgers defeated the Padres, 7-4, earning De Leon his first Major League Baseball victory.
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“I’m excited to get back out there and get going”. He was scheduled to pitch five innings but threw 61 pitches in just two innings while giving up six runs on nine hits and a walk.
And since there typically are more right-handed pitchers than left, maybe this is Roberts’ way of getting Puig and Reddick equal time down the stretch, even if he doesn’t want to necessarily call it a platoon. “I thought he executed well several times”.
“It was Puig”s first homer since July 4 and his first since his monthlong exile to triple-A Oklahoma City, a demotion that was prompted not only by Puig”s sluggish bat but his uneven work habits and occasional on-field lapses. Then he went 10-1 with a 1.38 ERA the rest of the season, pitching a no-hitter and stringing together a career-best 41-inning scoreless streak on his way to the NL Cy Young Award. “But I do like the way that – regardless of who toes the rubber that day – we expect to win, whether it’s a kid with one day service (in the majors) or a guy with 12 years of service”.
In another section of Dodger Stadium, De Leon’s parents were on the edge of their seats, having hurriedly travelled from Puerto Rico on short notice to watch their 20-year-old son’s debut in the midst of a pennant race. He threw 35 pitches in the game and another 15 in the bullpen to reach his 50-pitch limit for the night. Kershaw, who last pitched June 26, has been on the disabled list since June 30 with a herniated disc. That’s the highest ratio of any pitcher ever with at least 120 innings pitched, eclipsing Phil Hughes’ 2014 season by almost four and a half strikeouts per walk.
Kershaw struck out five in his three innings and allowed only an infield single.
San Diego starter Christian Friedrich allowed four runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings of his first start since August 23.
Coupled with the San Francisco Giants’ 13-inning loss in Chicago, the Dodgers moved three games up in the National League West and a season-high 16 games over.500 (76-60) for the second time in the past week.
Mets 3, Nationals 1: Robert Gsellman (2-1) pitched out of trouble for six innings, and NY moved within one game of St. Louis for the final N.L. playoff berth.
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Kenta Maeda, Ross Stripling and Brock Stewart will start the three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks beginning Monday.
