Regardless of working with a “diminished” arsenal in his 18th MLB season, Clayton Kershaw continues to offer the Los Angeles Dodgers the whole lot he’s obtained. And within the collection opener towards the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, Kershaw had greater than sufficient.
The veteran lefty stymied the Rays, permitting 5 hits and no walks in six scoreless innings because the Dodgers received 5-0. After the sport, teammate Freddie Freeman praised Kershaw’s clutch efficiency.
“Clayton is a first-ballot Corridor of Famer. He was within the pool all day yesterday along with his youngsters, after which he goes out right here and throws six shutout innings. He is completely unbelievable. He is unbelievable,” Freeman mentioned, per Dodger Blue.
Clayton Kershaw delivers for Dodgers in dominant outing towards Rays
Kershaw bounced again towards Tampa Bay after a tough outing final week in Boston. With the victory over the Rays, the three-time Cy Younger winner improved to 5-2 on the season with a 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings pitched for LA.
Kershaw added three extra Ks to his resume Friday after becoming a member of the three,000 strikeout membership earlier this season. The previous MVP obtained a late begin in 2025 as his restoration from offseason surgical procedures pushed his debut again to Could. Regardless of making simply 13 begins, Kershaw has already outproduced his injury-plagued 2024 marketing campaign.
The 11-time All-Star helps the Dodgers navigate a lot of accidents to the pitching workers. And Friday’s victory allowed Los Angeles to take care of its three-game lead within the NL West because the San Diego Padres picked up their sixth straight win.
Whereas Freeman expressed his appreciation for Kershaw’s outing, Dodgers followers felt the primary baseman deserved some reward as nicely. Freeman had a giant day on the plate towards the Rays, homering for a second straight recreation.
The Sixteenth-year veteran obtained the Dodgers on the board with a two-run double within the first inning. He then led off the fifth along with his twelfth house run of the season, extending LA’s result in 5-0.
Freeman made his ninth-career All-Star Sport in 2025. He’s now hitting .299 with a .853 OPS and 59 RBI.
The Dodgers will search for their fourth win in 5 video games when Blake Snell makes his return to the mound Saturday. The 2-time Cy Younger winner has been sidelined by a shoulder damage since early April.