DENVER (AP) — Don Mattingly made a rather bold prediction after Clayton Kershaw’s latest masterful performance: His ace will give up another run at some point this season.
“I know I’m going out on a limb,” the Los Angeles Dodgers manager joked.
Lately, Kershaw has looked that untouchable.
The hard-throwing lefty nearly had no-hit stuff against Colorado again, allowing only two singles over eight innings as the Dodgers beat the Rockies 9-0 on Friday night.
What’s more, Kershaw (10-2) extended his scoreless streak to 36 innings before being replaced by a pinch hitter in the ninth. Kershaw bottled up the top-hitting team in the majors in nearly matching the no-hitter he threw against the Rockies on June 18 at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw struck out eight and walked one.
“You don’t ever want to give up a run,” Kershaw casually said. “I guess that’s the goal.”
The nastiness of Kershaw’s slider — the best pitch in baseball, Drew Stubbs labeled it — is fueling his roll.