Even after Roberts removed Hill from the game, the Dodgers had an opportunity to pitch a flawless game as a team, but reliever Joe Blanton allowed a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth to break up everything.
Advertisement
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw’s first start off the disabled list lasted only three innings, in which he gave up two earned runs and took a loss against the Miami Marlins on Friday.
The next time Hill started for Los Angeles was last Saturday, when he threw 89 pitches in six scoreless innings against the Padres. Miami Marlins, throwing 66 pitches in the process.
The Los Angeles Dodgers welcomed back their ace with open arms as Clayton Kershaw took the mound Friday for the first time in 75 days. Miami used a dazzling start from Jose Fernandez to fend off the NL West leading Dodgers.
Fernandez lived up to his end of the bargain.
Fernandez (14-8) gave up three hits and three walks in seven scoreless innings.
“It seems like that’s all I do lately”, Fernandez said with a smile. “I know Dave is sick to his stomach right now, and I am too”.
Fernandez was simply dominant, improving to 4-0 all-time against the Dodgers and 28-2 at Marlins Park. Miami had the lead for most of the game, and they came so close to letting it all slip away.
His 102nd and last pitch – one that fanned Yasiel Puig for No. 14 – hit 98 miles per hour. Manager Don Mattingly decided he had enough of Rodney, as he pulled him, and called on A.J. The performance dropped his ERA below 3.00 for the season (2.90).
Miami improved to 5-0 against the Dodgers this season. With the Dodgers ahead 5-0, first-year manager Dave Roberts replaced the 35-year-old left-hander with Joe Blanton at the start of the eighth inning.
Kershaw struck out five and threw 46 strikes. Despite the short stint, Kershaw made history on the night – his final out, a strikeout of Marcell Ozuna, made him the first player in history to reach 150 strikeouts while walking less than 10 batters (he’s issued nine free passes).
Said Roberts, “to go 89 pitches, weighing the risks versus the opportunity and talking to the training staff and getting their advice and weighing it all up and what is right for Rich and the Dodgers, this is the decision I made”.
Advertisement
“He’s got that curveball working like that, it’s tough, and we just weren’t able to make the adjustments”. “But I think there’s a bigger picture here, and we all know what it is”. They played unbelievable. They’re still playing unbelievable. That’s definite. Steve and B-Mac (physical therapist Steve Smith and strength and conditioning coach Brandon McDaniel) have been with me non-stop to get me back and a lot of people put in a lot of work to help me get back. “While there might be some rough spots for me at times, there really can’t be”. “So I need to do that, pretty soon”. Hill pitched a ideal seven innings before strangely being pulled Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts. “We didn’t expect him to be in midseason form”.
