Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, a late scratch for the season opener last month, allowed three hits and struck out six across 5⅔ innings in his 2020 debut Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Kershaw left with a 3-0 lead, after throwing 81 pitches, 57 of them for strikes. Not long after he left the game, Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts also departed with a sore middle finger on his left hand.
Following the Dodgers’ 3-0 victory, manager Dave Roberts said X-rays on Betts’ finger were negative and he is day-to-day. Roberts said Betts was removed from the game because he had a lot of swelling on the finger.
Kershaw was scratched just four hours before the season opener vs. the San Francisco Giants because of back stiffness.
Kershaw’s back originally stiffened up while he went about his normal routine in the weight room in the days leading up to the Dodgers’ opener, but an MRI later that day came back clean. He received treatment over the next couple of days but couldn’t get his back loose enough to make his first start.
Kershaw’s return is a welcome addition on several levels for a Dodgers’ rotation that lost starter Alex Wood to the injured list because of shoulder inflammation last week.