ATLANTA -- The last thing the rest of the National League wants to see is Clayton Kershaw developing yet another pitch, but possible evidence of that very thing surfaced on Thursday.
In the fourth inning, the Los Angeles Dodgers' ace threw what appeared to be an eephus pitch to the Atlanta Braves' Tyler Flowers, a slow deliberate lob to the plate, though it was likely just a really slow curveball. The pitch was called a ball, but Kershaw ended the at-bat with a strikeout.
“I don’t know what that was,” Dodgers color commentator Orel Hershiser said on the broadcast as catcher A.J. Ellis threw the scuffed ball out of play and asked for a new one from plate umpire Angel Hernandez.
Kershaw was solid Thursday, giving up just one run over eight innings, giving the Dodgers enough time to ultimately scratch out a 2-1 victory in 10 innings. Kenley Jansen recorded his seventh save in seven tries.
The pitch could not have been more unexpected. It was clocked at 46 mph, 25 mph slower than any other pitch Kershaw has thrown in the young 2016 season.
Kershaw’s light toss could have been a nod to the red-hot-hitting Braves catchers in the series. At that point, Braves catchers Flowers and A.J. Pierzynski already had seven hits in the series, with Flowers collecting five singles in his first five at-bats.
Kershaw started slow Thursday, giving up a run on five hits over the first two innings, but he rebounded to pitch eight innings. It is the first time in Kershaw’s career he has gone at least seven innings in his first four starts of a season.
He finished the day pitching eight innings and allowing 10 hits with 10 strikeouts, the first time he has been in double-digits in hits and strikeouts in a start. He was also the first Dodgers starter to reach at least 10 hits allowed and 10 strikeouts since Hideo Nomo in 1997.
