Kershaw Gets 100th Win As Dodgers Beat Rockies, 6-4
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw earned his 100th career victory on his fifth attempt, and the Los Angeles Dodgers hung on for a 6-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.
Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, reinstated from the disabled list after recovering from surgery on his left foot in February, struck out four in the eighth inning on 14 pitches. The first one, Carlos Gonzalez, reached base on a passed ball by Yasmani Grandal.
Jansen was the first big leaguer to accomplish the feat since Arizona's Oliver Perez last Sept. 20 at Colorado. And it couldn't have come at a better time, after the Rockies scored four runs in the seventh against relievers Paco Rodriguez and Yimi Garcia.
Kershaw (2-2) was charged with three runs, four hits and three walks in 6 2-3 innings and struck out 10 before leaving with a 6-1 lead. The reigning NL MVP and three-time Cy Young winner is 7-0 with a 2.28 ERA and 71-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his last eight starts against the Rockies, including a no-hitter last June at Dodger Stadium.
This was the left-hander's first win since April 17, when he struck out 12 in a 7-3 decision against the Rockies at Los Angeles.
Rookie Adam Liberatore gave up a pair of one-out singles in the ninth before ex-Rockies right-hander Juan Nicasio got the final two outs for his first save in five big league seasons after being used primarily as a starter by Colorado. Nicasio struck out Wilin Rosario to end it after a two-out double-steal by Charlie Blackmon and Daniel Descalso.
Jimmy Rollins, who had his first four-hit game with the Dodgers, opened the scoring in the first when he drove a 3-2 pitch from Eddie Butler (2-4) into the right-field bullpen for his fourth homer. He added his 900th regular-season RBI in the fifth with a single off reliever Yohan Flande, increasing the margin to 6-0.
DJ LeMahieu ignited Colorado's rally with a two-out RBI single in the seventh. Kershaw faced one more batter, walking pinch-hitter Michael McKenry with his 110th pitch.
Blackmon greeted Rodriguez with a single that loaded the bases, and Descalso cleared them with a double off the right field fence. Descalso entered the game in the third inning at shortstop after Troy Tulowitzki left because of tightness in his left quadriceps.
Garcia, who surrendered a three-run homer to Gonzalez in the ninth inning of the Dodgers' series-opening 5-4 loss, walked Nolan Arenado before striking out Rosario.
Butler threw 83 pitches in just 2 2-3 innings and was charged with four runs — three earned — and six hits along with four walks. The right-hander is 0-3 in three starts against the Dodgers this season alone, including a rain-shortened 2-1 loss seven days earlier at Coors Field.
The Dodgers tacked on three runs in the third with Justin Turner's two-run double and an RBI single by Andre Ethier. One of the runs that inning was unearned because of an error by first baseman Rosario, who fielded a grounder in the hole by Adrian Gonzalez and made an off-balance toss out of Butler's reach while trying to lead him to the bag.
Rollins led off the fourth with a double, advanced on Howie Kendrick's third consecutive single and scored the Dodgers' fifth run on a double-play grounder by Adrian Gonzalez.
SHADES OF A-ROD
Arenado struck out chasing a pitch in the dirt to end the Rockies' third inning. When Grandal tried to tag him in the batter's box and make the out official, Arenado slapped the ball out of the catcher's hand.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rockies: Bench coach Tom Runnells filled in for manager Walt Weiss for the third straight game following Weiss' emergency appendectomy Wednesday. ... 1B Justin Morneau was not in the lineup for the second game in a row because of neck stiffness, the result of a diving attempt he made on a ground ball during Wednesday night's loss to the Angels. Friday was his 34th birthday.
UP NEXT
Rockies: LHP Jorge De La Rosa (0-2) will face the Dodgers for the second time in seven days, after issuing six walks and five runs over four innings in a no-decision at Coors Field.
Dodgers: RHP Zack Greinke (5-0) had a no-decision his last time out despite allowing one run over seven innings against the Miami Marlins. He is 22-1 in 32 starts against NL West teams since joining the Dodgers — the only blemish a 1-0 loss to the Rockies on Sept. 28, 2013, at Los Angeles.
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