Kershaw rips Rockies' Anderson for 'disrespectful' pregame walk

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw did not appreciate the pregame antics of Colorado Rockies starter Tyler Anderson, which caused a brief delay on the field Wednesday night.

Kershaw was on the mound ready to throw his first pitch of the game to Rockies leadoff hitter Charlie Blackmon when home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott called time because Anderson had walked onto the field.

Wolcott had noticed that Anderson had come out of the bullpen following his warmup throws. The pitcher walked onto the field to get to the Rockies' dugout, something that irked Kershaw.

"That was one of the more disrespectful things I have been a part of in a game," Kershaw told reporters.

"I really didn't appreciate that. The game starts at 7:10 and has started at 7:10 here for a long time. Just go around, or finish earlier. But yeah, that wasn't appreciated, for sure."

Pitchers will throw warmup pitches in the bullpen before the game, but have usually made their way back to the dugout by the time the game starts. Anderson said he just wanted to get some extra work in before taking the mound and didn't expect or intend to cause a delay.

"I threw a few extra pitches in the bullpen before the game,'' Anderson said, according to Doug Padilla of ESPN. "I didn't mean any disrespect by it. I was surprised the umpire didn't let him pitch.''

Kershaw got revenge by picking up his third win of the season in the 4-2 victory. He allowed two runs off five hits and a walk while striking out 10 - including Anderson once. Anderson, meanwhile, allowed four runs (two earned) off six hits and a walk to go with five strikeouts in a losing effort.