Clayton Kershaw continues to be virtually unhittable as he enjoys one of the best stretches of his career.
The Los Angeles Dodgers ace tossed eight shutout innings against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday before handing the ball over to closer Kenley Jansen to preserve the 3-0 win.
Kershaw dazzled throughout the outing, allowing just three hits and no walks while striking out eight to pick up his fifth win in his last six starts.
"He's Clayton Kershaw," Dodgers shortstop Enrique Hernandez told reporters after the game. "He's the best pitcher on the planet."
| Date | Opp | IP | H | R | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13 | WSH (W) | 8 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Aug 7 | PIT | 6 | 9 | 4 | 5 |
| Aug 1 | LAA (W) | 8 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| July 23 | NYM (W) | 9 | 3 | 0 | 11 |
| July 18 | WSH (W) | 8 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
| July 8 | PHI (W) | 9 | 8 | 0 | 13 |
Related: Kershaw makes history with another 200-strikeout season
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
The reigning Cy Young Award winner retired the first 16 batters he faced before allowing a one-out double to Michael Taylor in the sixth inning. It was the only time a Nationals player reached scoring position. A remarkable 26 percent of Kershaw's 23 starts this season have been shutouts.
"I like consistency," Kershaw said. "When you start looking around at the Mark Buehrle streaks, the Dan Harens, the guys that don't go on the DL, the guys that are around for a long time, I have a lot of respect for those guys. Hopefully, in 10 years or so, I'll be in that category."
The Nationals loss is their third in four games, as they were shut out for the second straight game despite a strong effort from starter Jordan Zimmermann. The right-hander allowed one run off two hits and a walk while striking out a season-high nine over seven innings.
