Clayton Kershaw was ejected in the sixth inning for hitting Gerardo Parra with a pitch, but the Los Angeles Dodgers managed to hold onto his lead and deliver his 19th win with a 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw had a one-hit shutout through five innings and the Dodgers led 2-0 at the time of the ejection.
Kershaw was ejected without a warning from home plate umpire Bill Welke, and manager Don Mattingly was ejected shortly thereafter for arguing. Parra was at the center of controversy on Tuesday night as he reacted to a pitch up and in by Hong-Chih Kuo by grabbing his crotch, then hit a home run and admired it before trotting slowly around the bases.
The only hit Kershaw allowed on Wednesday was a third-inning double by Parra.
"First at-bat, I threw them all away, and [Parra] hit a double. Next at-bat, I have to pitch him in. It's just unfortunate in my opinion," Kershaw said of his ejection. "Bill [Welke]'s just too strict back there. I understand he has a job to do, but just pay attention to the game and understand what's going on a little bit better."
Josh Lindblom has the unsung bullpen hero for the Dodgers, striking out five in two scoreless innings of relief. The Diamondbacks and Dodgers each scored single runs in the eighth inning, then Arizona pulled to within one in the ninth inning, but Kenley Jansen struck out three in the final frame to preserve the win for the Dodgers.
Kershaw is the first Dodger to win 19 games since Ramon Martinez, who went 20-6 in 1990.
The Dodgers host the Pittsburgh Pirates for four games beginning on Thursday night. Dana Eveland starts the series opener for Los Angeles, facing Ross Ohlendorf for Pittsburgh.
For a further look at Clayton Kershaw's amazing season for the Dodgers, be sure to read True Blue LA.