Kershaw roughed up in relief in 'hard to watch' 8th

LOS ANGELES -- Tanner Scott was absent for what was aboriginal described arsenic a idiosyncratic matter, 2 different left-handed relievers had already been used, and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn't privation to usage his 3 champion relievers -- 2 of them converted starting pitchers -- successful a deficit.

And so, successful the eighth inning of a two-run crippled connected Wednesday night, Clayton Kershaw spilled backmost onto the tract hoping to support a people manageable by providing his squad with 3 further outs -- and that's erstwhile Game 3 of the National League Division Series unraveled.

J.T. Realmuto led disconnected with a location run, six different batters reached base, and by the extremity of it, the Philadelphia Phillies had tacked connected 5 further runs, cruising to the 8-2 triumph that saved their season.

Kershaw, the aboriginal Hall of Fame left-hander who volition discontinue astatine season's end, was making his archetypal postseason alleviation quality since the decisive Game 5 of the 2019 NLDS, erstwhile helium came backmost retired for a 2nd inning and surrendered back-to-back, game-tying location runs to Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto. His latest alleviation outing could person finished successful a flourish, aft signaling the last retired successful a scoreless apical of the seventh. Instead, it ended successful despair.

"Just didn't marque capable bully pitches," said Kershaw, his squad inactive starring this best-of-five bid 2-1. "I was battling command. It's hard erstwhile you're trying to propulsion strikes arsenic opposed to getting radical out. Just wasn't a amusive thing."

A sold-out assemblage of 53,689 roared erstwhile the left-field-bullpen gates swung open, Kershaw's entranceway opus blared and No. 22 himself jogged to the mound. He was tasked with taking down the apical of the Phillies' order, instantly aft chap lefties Anthony Banda and Jack Dreyer pitched scoreless innings to support the Dodgers' two-run deficit.

Kershaw allowed the archetypal 2 batters to reach, past benefitted from immoderate bully fortune. Dodgers close fielder Teoscar Hernandez made a diving drawback to bargain a deed from Bryce Harper. Kyle Schwarber past got caught successful betwixt connected a transportation successful the ungraded and was picked disconnected archetypal base. Two batters later, Brandon Marsh deed a 108 mph enactment thrust straight into Hernandez's glove. The assemblage roared again, basking successful different accidental to observe 1 of the top players successful franchise past -- conscionable earlier watching him sorb different nightmare inning successful October.

Realmuto's homer was followed by a Max Kepler walk, which was followed by an mistake connected an in-between hop by Dodgers 3rd baseman Max Muncy. After a sacrifice bunt moved some runners over, Read Entire Article