Maeda (3-1) allowed seven hits and a walk, while striking out five on 101 pitches, the most he’s thrown since moving to the Dodgers from the Hiroshima Carp via the posting system.
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In Phoenix, Rubby De La Rosa struck out a career-high 10 and pitched two-hit ball through seven innings and Chris Herrmann and Brandon Drury homered for the Diamondbacks. The Miami Marlins rallied for three runs in the seventh inning Thursday night to hand Kenta Maeda his first defeat, 5-3, and complete a four-game sweep of the Dodgers. He gave up back-to-back singles with one out and an RBI single to Dee Gordon that tied the score with two outs.
The Marlins got back in the game in the second, when J.T. Realmuto lined a low fastball into the seats in right center for a two-out solo homer in the second. Fernandez struck him out the first two times, then fielded a fifth-inning dribbler and tagged him halfway up the first base line.
He and Marlins manager Don Mattingly were together with the Dodgers for four years, but the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Gordon didn’t become a regular in Los Angeles until 2014.
The Dodgers will need Maeda to extend his brilliant run since the Marlins are poised for a four-game sweep with a victory. The 23-year-old Cuban has been a different pitcher on the road during his brief career, going 5-10 with a 3.81 ERA as opposed to 18-1 with a 1.61 ERA at home. Realmuto has a hit in all nine games he’s played against the Dodgers, and is 14 for 32 altogether. While his BABIP is about 100 points above his career average and last years mark, it is obvious that Yelich’s approach early has been working, something the Marlins are savoring as they now sit in the top 10 among all of baseball in both team AVG and OBP.
Kershaw’s five earned runs allowed in the sixth inning were as many as he allowed in his first 35 innings to start this season.
Scott Kazmir on the other side of things spun the best game of his 2016 campaign so far, after he escaped without massive damage in the first inning.
Marlins: LHP Mike Dunn (left forearm strain) will begin a throwing program Thursday. “Dunn is at least 30 days away from coming back, but it helps that he’s a reliever and doesn’t have to get built up”, Mattingly said.
Reigning NL batting champion Dee Gordon of the Miami Marlins says he unknowingly took the performance-enhancing drugs that led to his 80-game suspension, but he’ll accept the penalty. He is 4-2 with a 4.04 ERA in 15 big league starts, including two no-decisions against the Brewers last season as a rookie. Last time out, he held San Diego to two runs over six innings but also walked four without a strikeout.
Kershaw finished with 10 strikeouts in seven innings but got his first loss in his last eight regular-season starts dating to a year ago.
Gordon, the son of former major league pitcher Tom Gordon, had a key hit in Miami’s win over the Dodgers on Thursday.
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Fernandez (2-2) got the decision in the duel with Maeda thanks to Papa Prado driving in the go-ahead run off Baez, one batter after Maeda left the game.
