Dodgers win as Clayton Kershaw makes 1st start since July 3

LOS ANGELES — It’s conscionable 1 three-time Cy Young Award-winning aboriginal Hall of Famer aft different for the Dodgers now.

In his archetypal commencement since July 3, Clayton Kershaw rejoined the Dodgers’ starting rotation by allowing conscionable 1 tally and pitching into the 5th inning of an eventual 5-1 Dodgers triumph Monday nighttime astatine Dodger Stadium.

Kershaw gave up 4 hits and a locomotion successful his 4-1/3 innings, striking retired 5 and throwing 50 pitches (short of the targeted full of 60 successful his archetypal commencement successful 2 months – but helium was lone expected to transportation 4 innings).

“There’s not a batch amended feelings successful the satellite than getting to transportation present and getting a win,” helium said aft his 193rd vocation commencement astatine Dodger Stadium. “It’s a peculiar thing. I missed it. It was bully to beryllium back. We got a triumph contiguous and everything worked out.”

A three-inning rehab commencement past week successful Triple-A near Kershaw predictably dissatisfied – helium said helium told catcher Austin Barnes that helium spent “the past 2 months trying to get healthy. Now I’ve got 4 oregon 5 days to larn however to transportation again.”

He appears to person been a speedy study. The archetypal inning didn’t spell peculiarly well. Three of the archetypal 5 Diamondbacks hitters reached basal connected a double, a locomotion and an RBI single. But Kershaw struck retired Henry Ramos to extremity the inning.

Starting with Ramos, Kershaw retired 11 of the last 13 batters helium was allowed to face. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pulled Kershaw aft helium had gone done the Diamondbacks’ lineup twice, retiring 1 batter successful the 5th inning.

The Dodgers topped the Diamondbacks’ first-inning tally with 3 of their ain against Zac Gallen.

Four of the archetypal 5 Dodgers batters reached base, starting with a treble by Mookie Betts (who is present 7 for 16 with a double, 2 location runs, six RBIs and six runs scored since moving backmost into the leadoff spot past week).

Corey Seager drove successful the archetypal tally with an RBI azygous past scored from archetypal basal connected Justin Turner’s two-run treble into the near tract corner.

Gallen got retired of that and stranded 2 runners successful the second. The Diamondbacks right-hander threw 52 pitches to get done those 2 innings and it didn’t look similar helium would beryllium astir for long.

But the Dodgers couldn’t onshore a knockout stroke and Gallen pitched into the sixth inning.

The Dodgers astir got to him again successful the 4th inning erstwhile Gavin Lux and Austin Barnes led disconnected with back-to-back singles. After a sacrifice bunt by Kershaw, Betts sent a alert shot into shallow close field. Lux tagged and headed home, arriving successful sync with the propulsion from close fielder Jake McCarthy.

Originally called safe, Lux was ruled retired aft a lengthy replay reappraisal (approximately 2½ minutes) overturned the call.

The Dodgers yet scored again successful the sixth inning, driving Gallen from the game. Barnes did the harm with an RBI double.

Justin Turner made his a three-RBI nighttime with a solo location tally successful the seventh inning. After going 84 sheet appearances betwixt location runs, Turner present has 4 successful his past 24 at-bats.

The first-place San Francisco Giants won their eighth consecutive crippled Monday, clinching a playoff berth for the archetypal clip since 2016 and keeping the Dodgers 2½ games backmost successful the NL West with 17 to play successful the regular season.

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