Clayton Kershaw’s strikeout-walk feats go international

Clayton Kershaw allowed two runs on eight hits, but again walked none while striking out 10. (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

By Jon Weisman

Clayton Kershaw didn’t throw a 14-strikeout shutout today like he did six days ago, but his work today at Toronto was hardly less impressive.

Starting in an American League East ballpark for the first time in his career, Kershaw continued to showcase otherworldly control in pitching the Dodgers to a 6-2 victory over the Blue Jays.

In seven innings, Kershaw struck out 10 and walked none, which means the following:

• Kershaw has 34 strikeouts since his last walk.
• In 2016, he has struck out 64 batters and walked three. That’s a K/BB ratio of 21.3. That’s nearly double the existing MLB record for starting pitchers of 11.6 by Phil Hughes of the Yankees in 2014.
• He had his third straight game of at least 10 strikeouts and no walks, tying the MLB record previously set by Chris Archer and Kershaw in 2015.
• He had his fourth straight game of at least 10 strikeouts, the longest streak by a Dodger pitcher since Hideo Nomo in 1995 (according to ESPN Stats & Info).

Kershaw needed a double play to finish the seventh inning at 112 pitches, not because he was particularly wild, but because the tough Blue Jays offense was able to get eight hits (and two runs), while also fouling off 25 pitches. Former Dodger infielder Darwin Barney had two hits, a run and an RBI.

But the Dodger offense backed Kershaw with four runs in the first three innings off R.A. Dickey, including a 434-foot homer by Joc Pederson in the second inning, and a two-run single by Adrian Gonzalez in the third inning, immediately after a bases-loaded wild pitch that (after a replay review) scored Chase Utley.

The Dodgers added two runs against Toronto’s bullpen, including Justin Turner’s better-late-than-never first home run of 2016.

After struggling Thursday at Tampa Bay, reliever Pedro Baez pitched a perfect eighth, and Kenley Jansen wrapped it up in the ninth to push the Dodgers back to .500 (15-15) for the season.