CHICAGO — They bill Wrigley Field as “The Friendly Confines.” Clayton Kershaw has never found it to be so.
Entering Saturday’s doubleheader, Kershaw’s career ERA at Wrigley Field – 4.74 in four regular-season starts – was his highest for any ballpark where he had started more than once and it is one of only two stadiums where he has a losing record.
But he made himself comfortable in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, holding the Chicago Cubs scoreless for the first seven innings of a 7-0 Dodgers victory.
Tyler Anderson is scheduled to start the second game against Cubs left-hander Daniel Norris.
Kershaw fairly breezed through his day in the Windy City. He needed just 66 pitches to get through the first six innings, getting an assortment of early-count outs and striking out just two.
The Cubs didn’t even get a runner past first base in the first six innings – and could blame themselves for that.
Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki drew a one-out walk in the first inning and was picked off first base by Kershaw to end the inning. Suzuki reached on a single in the fourth as well and was erased when Yan Gomes bounced into a double play.
But Nico Hoerner was guilty of the day’s most Cub-alicious baserunning mistake.
With two outs in the second, Hoerner chopped a ground ball to shortstop Trea Turner. Turner charged and tried to make a bare-handed play but his throw was up the line and got past Freddie Freeman at first base.
Hoerner casually turned and started trotting to second base, assuming the ball had gone out of play. It hadn’t. The ball had bounced off the wall in front of the photo well near the Dodgers’ dugout. Freeman retrieved it and threw to second baseman Gavin Lux who tagged Hoerner out to end the inning.
Saturday was the 63rd time in his career Kershaw has gone at least seven scoreless innings in a start, the second time in five starts this season. His ERA this year is 1.80 with a 0.73 WHIP, lowest among National League starters.
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Freeman and Austin Barnes powered the Dodgers’ offense with Barnes. Freeman became the first Dodgers player to have three doubles in a game at Wrigley Field. Barnes drove in three runs with a solo home run and a two-run single.
Still mired in a 2-for-20 slump that has dragged his average down to .184, Justin Turner drove in two runs with a double off Cubs reliever Robert Gsellman that left his bat at 107.7 mph, his hardest-hit ball this season.