Clayton Kershaw quietly continued his march towards membership historical past.
Cody Bellinger loudly continued his return to type.
Collectively, the 2 former MVPs led the Dodgers to a 10-2 win in opposition to the San Diego Padres on Sunday, with Kershaw pitching 5 innings of one-run ball — and accumulating three strikeouts to maneuver to inside 4 of breaking Don Sutton’s franchise document — and Bellinger hitting two dwelling runs within the rubber-match rout.
All eyes have been on Kershaw to start the day.
With 2,690 profession strikeouts coming into the sport, the left-hander was inside attain of breaking Sutton’s four-decades-old mark.
“Selfishly, I'd wish to see him do it at present,” supervisor Dave Roberts stated pregame. “As a result of if he punches out seven, then that’s factor for the Dodgers at present.”
Even and not using a bunch of strikeouts, Kershaw was efficient anyway, inducing principally gentle floor balls and weak pop flies to proceed his robust begin to the season.
In 5 innings, Kershaw gave up solely 4 hits (all of them singles) and hit one batter. He escaped a jam within the backside of the primary, getting Jurickson Profar to hit into an inning-ending double play with runners on the corners. He restricted the injury after Wil Myers hit an RBI single within the fourth, stranding runners on the corners with a strikeout of Jorge Alfaro.
And although his pursuit of historical past needed to wait, Kershaw will now have the chance to doubtlessly eclipse Sutton’s mark at Dodger Stadium, when he's subsequent anticipated to take the mound Saturday in opposition to the Detroit Tigers.
“For him to interrupt that document at dwelling, in entrance of his personal followers, could be particular,” Roberts stated.
Whereas Kershaw cruised, the Dodgers’ offense dominated.
Dealing with Padres left-hander Sean Manaea, the Dodgers opened the scoring with a Justin Turner sacrifice fly within the first. They made it 3-0 when Freddie Freeman hit a two-run blast within the third, which the primary baseman celebrated by high-fiving his dad, who was seated subsequent to the Dodgers dugout.
Then Bellinger delivered the knockout blows, hammering a solo dwelling run to middle area within the fourth and a three-run blast to right-center within the fifth.
It was his 14th profession multi-home run recreation (essentially the most in Dodgers historical past by a 26-year-old, in response to ESPN). It was his seventh multihit recreation this season, elevating his batting common to .273. And it gave him the staff lead with 4 lengthy balls via this season’s first 15 video games.
On his means again to the dugout following the second blast, Bellinger was serenaded by the Dodgers’ robust contingent of visiting followers. Their chants: “MVP! MVP!”
It was the spotlight of what was arguably the Dodgers’ most full recreation on the plate this season. They not solely had a giant inning — they scored 4 runs within the fifth, their eleventh inning of three runs or extra this season — however stored Padres pitchers beneath fixed stress, plating at the very least one run in 5 of the sport’s first six innings.
And mixed with Kershaw’s robust begin, it was greater than sufficient to safe the staff’s fourth straight collection win.
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