Dodgers 3, Marlins 6: Stupid Sexy Stanton

The Dodgers were cruising through five. Then, the sixth happened.

Generally, when you can give Clayton Kershaw a minimal amount of run support, the game is over. Kershaw allowed five runs in his first four starts of the season combined. He gave up five runs in a start twice last season, both of which came in his “is it the beginning of the end for Clayton Kershaw” stretch of weird, unlucky starts.

The Dodgers scored twice in the first without getting a hit, as three walks, two wild pitches and a throwing error gave them a run. They got a third run off the bat of Kershaw, who drilled a double with Carl Crawford on first base. It was all good, and we were all happy.

Kershaw gave up a loud out number one in the sixth, as Adeiny Hechavarria drilled a ball right at second baseman Chase Utley. Former Dodger Miguel Rojas hit a double to left for the Marlins’ first clean hit of the night (their other hit came when Crawford has some issues going back on a ball in the second). Former Dodger Dee Gordon hit a weak comebacker off Kershaw’s leg and beat the throw, and Martin Prado singled in Rojas. Christian Yelich followed that up with a single to score Gordon, and destroyer of baseballs Giancarlo Stanton ripped a high fastball to dead center, and all of a sudden it was 5-3. They added a sixth run in the eighth inning on a single, wild pitch and bloop single.

The Dodgers, on the other hand, couldn’t get much going off the Marlins’ pitching. Starter Tom Koehler was effectively wild, as he walked four, but only gave up three hits in his five innings. The Dodgers got hits in the sixth, seventh and ninth, but couldn’t do anything with them.

Other than the sixth inning, this looked like another marvelous Kershaw start. He struck out 10 and didn’t walk a batter, raising his K/BB rate to 40/3. That’s absurd. He was undone by that one bad stretch of five batters. That’s baseball.

Games like this are where the Dodgers really miss Zack Greinke. Not that Greinke has been good at all in Arizona, but last year after Kershaw faltered, Greinke was there to clean up the mess. This year, the Dodgers send Scott Kazmir to the hill after Kershaw, and while he’s not as bad as he’s looked early on, it’s still a sizable dropoff. These bad Kershaw starts will happen a few times a year, the Dodgers just need to pick him up either in that start or by putting up runs for other pitchers.

The Dodgers look to stop their mini losing streak tomorrow with Kazmir on the hill.