Kershaw Strikes Out 5 In Return, Dodgers Beat D-backs 5-1
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw struck out five in his first start since July 3 and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 on Monday night for their seventh straight home win.
Activated from the injured list earlier in the day, Kershaw had missed 57 games with elbow inflammation.
The 33-year-old left-hander gave up four hits, walked one and didn't figure in the decision after throwing 50 pitches over 4 1/3 innings. Kershaw reached on an infield single in the second and sacrificed in the fourth.
Phil Bickford (4-2) got the win with one inning of scoreless relief.
With the second-place Dodgers chasing NL West-leading San Francisco, Kershaw's return gives them another front-line starter to join Walker Buehler, Max Scherzer and Julio Urías, all of whom are strong Cy Young Award contenders.
Kershaw was throwing his fastball about 91 mph before going on the IL. He touched 90 a few times in the first when he needed 20 pitches to get out of the inning. He retired the side in the third, his only clean inning.
The Dodgers took a 3-1 lead in the first on Corey Seager's RBI single and Justin Turner's two-run double into the left-field corner. Turner added a solo homer, his 25th, in the eighth.
Austin Barnes doubled into the left-field corner in the sixth, extending the lead to 4-1.
Arizona's lone run came on Josh Rojas' RBI single in the first.
Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen (2-10) gave up four runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked three.