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By Jon Weisman
About 15 months ago, I studied every single start of Clayton Kershaw’s career to see how close he had come to throwing his first no-hitter. In his first 192 career starts, including the postseason, Kershaw has taken a no-hitter past the sixth inning only once.
Even since his now-famous June 18, 2014 no-hitter, it’s still rarer than you think, though I won’t press the point with Dodger fans who might think it’s happening all the time.
In the past month alone, Kershaw retired the first 18 New York Mets he faced July 18, and tonight, he set down the first 16 Washington Nationals before Michael Taylor’s booming double to dead center in the sixth inning of what became a 3-0 Dodger victory.
Pitching most of the game with a one-run lead provided by Carl Crawford’s RBI single in the third inning (scoring Joc Pederson), Kershaw had to approach his best work, and he did. He had the help of Kiké Hernandez, who made multiple sprawling plays while spot-starting at shortstop — including one that might have prevented Taylor from scoring in the sixth.
Kershaw allowed two more hits, but his closest call after that was Wilson Ramos’ deep fly that Crawford hauled in near the wall in left field. He left after eight innings, having walked none while striking out eight (becoming the first Dodger pitcher with six straight 200-strikeout seasons since Sandy Koufax).
One start after his 37-inning scoreless streak ended at Pittsburgh, Kershaw resumed the surge that has lowered his ERA from 4.32 on May 21 to 2.39 tonight.
In 103 2/3 innings over that stretch, Kershaw has a 1.30 ERA with 132 strikeouts against 80 baserunners. In his past 1,000 innings, Kershaw’s ERA is 2.12.
The Dodgers added some insurance in the bottom of the eighth when, after Pederson was hit by a pitch, pinch-hitter Andre Ethier doubled to the right-field corner. Both players scored when Anthony Rendon’s relay throw inexplicably sailed into the stands, though Crawford followed with his third hit of the night anyway.
Kenley Jansen struck out Bryce Harper to end the game, which at 2:20 was the third-shortest nine-inning game of the Dodger season. Washington was held scoreless for the final 19 innings of this series.
