Clayton Kershaw comes up huge in a crucial sport towards the Padres | by Cary Osborne | Aug, 2025 – Dodger Insider

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by Cary Osborne
Contemplating the necessity and the opponent, this was probably the most crucial late-season begin for Clayton Kershaw in seven years.
Sure — seven years.
And the longer term Corridor of Famer pitched his workforce again into first place.
Kershaw, with the Dodgers having misplaced their final 4 video games and trailing the San Diego Padres by one sport within the Nationwide League West, was excellent.
He allowed one run and retired 12 of the final 13 batters he confronted, and he and the Dodgers beat the Padres 3–2 within the sequence opener.
The groups are tied atop the NL West.
Kershaw hadn’t pitched on this tight of a division race sport in August or later since Sept. 18, 2018, when the Dodgers got here into that sport with a half-game lead over the Colorado Rockies within the NL West standings.
That sport was so way back that the №9 hitter for the Dodgers that day was Clayton Kershaw and Manny Machado was the Dodgers’ third baseman.
Kershaw allowed one earned run over seven innings that evening in a 3–2 Dodger win in further innings.
On Friday, Kershaw confronted San Diego third baseman Machado and retired him every time, together with one in every of his three strikeouts on the evening.
Kershaw struck out two batters within the first inning and retired the primary 5 batters he confronted within the sport earlier than permitting a house run to Padres left fielder Ramón Laureano. It was a excessive drive that bounced off the foul pole in left subject. Kershaw then walked Jose Iglesias.
He rolled from there.
Kershaw was machine-like, retaining a quick tempo on the mound. The one interruptions had been a couple of calls on borderline pitches that didn’t go his approach that appeared to bother him.
Kershaw moved on every time and attacked the Padres. He upped his season slider utilization from 40.3% to 50%. San Diego was 1-for-10 towards the pitch. They had been 0-for-8 towards his four-seamer.
The 37-year-old’s efficiency was very important.
The Dodgers had been held hitless in six of eight innings. Miguel Rojas’ bunt single within the third inning was supposed to be a sacrifice try, however Machado failed on a diving try to catch the ball. It loaded the bases and Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts drove in runs with a fielder’s alternative and sacrifice fly, respectively, to provide the Dodgers a 2–1 lead.
Teoscar Hernández hit a solo dwelling run within the seventh inning.
It was as much as the Dodger bullpen to take it from there. After shedding leads in three of the Dodgers’ final 4 video games, the bullpen held and saved.
Although issues bought bushy within the high of the eighth inning.
Alex Vesia loaded the bases with one out, and Luis Arraez minimize the Dodger result in 3–2.
Blake Treinen got here in after which retired Manny Machado with a flyout on the primary pitch.
Alexis Diaz earned the primary two outs of the ninth inning. Jack Dreyer retired Ryan O’Hearn to earn the save.
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It's time for every part to do with Dodger baseball.
Dodgers author and editor in his sixteenth season. Dodgers Director of Digital and Print Publications and Alumni Relations. On Twitter: @thecaryoz
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