ST. LOUIS — Clayton Kershaw turned in a solid performance, allowing only one run over five innings, as the Los Angeles Dodgers secured a 7-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. This win allowed the Dodgers to sidestep a potential sweep after losing the first two games of the series.
The veteran left-hander, now 37, threw 82 pitches with pinpoint accuracy, striking out seven Cardinals without issuing a single walk and conceding six hits. This marks Kershaw’s first win since August of the previous year, also against the Cardinals in St. Louis. Notably, this was his first instance of recording at least seven strikeouts since facing Cincinnati on June 8, 2023.
Offensively, Tommy Edman shone for the Dodgers, contributing three runs off two key hits paired with a sacrifice fly. Meanwhile, Mookie Betts added power to the lineup with a homer. As for Shohei Ohtani, he began the game strong with a leadoff double, eventually going 1-for-4.
For the Cardinals, 24-year-old Michael McGreevy faced a challenging outing. Making his first start of the season after being called up from Triple-A Memphis, McGreevy surrendered four runs over six innings. Interestingly, McGreevy was only seven years old when Kershaw made his MLB debut back in May 2008.
The Dodgers leaped to a 3-0 advantage by the second inning, thanks to Edman’s RBI single and a two-run triple from Hyeseong Kim. Edman continued to impress with a run-scoring double in the fourth inning to extend the lead.
St. Louis managed to get on the scoreboard in the fifth inning when Masyn Winn delivered a clutch two-out RBI double.
A pivotal moment unfolded in the second inning when, with two outs and a runner on third, Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn executed a remarkable play. Fielding a sharp grounder from Betts behind second base, he expertly spun and threw to first baseman Willson Contreras to secure the out, a call which remained upheld after a Dodgers’ challenge.
Kershaw, who is now only 17 strikeouts shy of reaching the prestigious 3,000-strikeout milestone in his career, bolstered his record against the Cardinals, moving to a 12-6 lifetime standing.
Looking ahead, the Dodgers will embark upon a three-game series against the San Diego Padres starting Monday night with Dustin May taking the mound. Meanwhile, the Cardinals will travel to Toronto for a series with the Blue Jays, where Andre Pallante is set to face off against Toronto’s José Berríos.