Gonzalez Suffers Hand Bruise, Rockies Fall To Dodgers 4-2
LOS ANGELES (The Sports Xchange) - Clayton Kershaw felt disrespected by the Colorado Rockies before he threw a pitch. However, after a shaky first inning, Kershaw found his rhythm and delivered a small act of revenge against the Rockies.
Scott Van Slyke homered, and the Los Angeles Dodgers ended a three-game slide with a 4-2 victory over the Rockies on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.
Kershaw (3-1) fanned 10, walked one and gave up two runs on five hits in seven innings to improve to 10-0 in his last 11 starts at home. Kershaw has an 0.65 ERA and has limited hitters to a .136 average during that span.
Kershaw is 19-6, including an 11-2 mark at Dodger Stadium, in 34 career starts against the Rockies.
Before the game, Rockies starter Tyler Anderson and catcher Dustin Garneau were strolling along the left-field line and headed to the team's dugout from the bullpen just as Kershaw was about to go into his windup. Clearly irked, Kershaw stepped off the mound and waited for Anderson and Garneau to reach their destination.
"That was one of the more disrespectful things I've been a part of in a game," said Kershaw, who avenged his only loss of the season, which occurred April 8 against the Rockies at Coors Field. "I really didn't appreciate that. The game starts at 7:10. It's started here at 7:10 for a long time, so just go around or finish earlier. That wasn't appreciated, for sure."
Kenley Jansen recorded his fourth save by retiring the final four batters.
Enrique Hernandez, Corey Seager and Adrian Gonzalez each drove in a run for the Dodgers (8-8). Chris Taylor, who started for the injured Logan Forsythe, was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a run.
"It's nice to get a win, especially (since) Kershaw threw really well," Taylor said. "To get some runs for him, that was big. It's awesome. It's fun to play behind him."
The left-handed Anderson (1-3) allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits, with five strikeouts and one walk, in five innings. Anderson also lost to the Dodgers on April 9 at Coors Field.
Rockies cleanup hitter Carlos Gonzalez left the game in the fourth inning with a bruised hand after being hit by a Kershaw pitch. X-rays were negative.
Colorado manager Bud Black believes Gonzalez will sit for a few days.
"Any time you get hit in the hand or finger, it's painful," Gonzalez said. "It's not broken. I'll try my best to get (back) as quick as possible."
Gonzalez's replacement, Stephen Cardullo, drove in a run for the Rockies.
Colorado (10-6) had its three-game winning streak end.
The Rockies loaded the bases in the first on a leadoff walk to Charlie Blackmon and consecutive singles by DJ LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado. After Gonzalez struck out, Mark Reynolds hit a sacrifice fly to plate Blackmon for a 1-0 lead.
"That doesn't happen very often, and when it does you really like to cash in. But he's so good," Black said of Kershaw serving up a run in the first. "He was able to get a strikeout of (Gonzalez), worked through Reynolds into a sac fly and then another strikeout. I mean, he's tough, there's no doubt about that, but we had some good at-bats that first inning."
In the second, Van Slyke launched a solo shot to left-center to tie the score at 1. It was the first home run this season for Van Slyke, who had not gone deep in 53 games.
The Dodgers scored three runs in the fifth. Hernandez lined an RBI double to left to score Chris Taylor, who opened the fifth with a double, to make it 2-1. Seager followed with a run-scoring single to bring home Kershaw for a 3-1 edge. Hernandez scored on Adrian Gonzalez's fielder's choice for a 4-1 advantage.
NOTES: The Dodgers placed 2B Logan Forsythe (right great toe fracture) and INF/OF Rob Segedin (right great toe strain) on the 10-day disabled list. OF Brett Eibner and INF/OF Chris Taylor were recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to fill their roster spots. Also, Los Angeles 3B Justin Turner did not play due to a sore hand after getting hit by a pitch in Tuesday's defeat by the Rockies. ... Rockies INF Ian Desmond, who hasn't played this season after suffering a broken hand in spring training, performed some fielding and hitting drills before the game. ... After a day off, both teams resume play Friday. The Rockies host the San Francisco Giants in a three-game set, while the Dodgers visit the Arizona Diamondbacks for three games.
