In a commanding performance, Clayton Kershaw pitched a near no-hitter, holding the Colorado Rockies hitless until the sixth inning. J.D. Martinez added to the Dodgers' offensive firepower with two home runs, reaching the 300th homer milestone of his career, as Los Angeles secured a 5-0 win on Tuesday night.
Kershaw (10-4) was remarkably efficient, facing the minimum number of batters through six innings while throwing just 79 pitches. He struck out two but exited the game with some discomfort, explaining post-game, "Just didn’t feel great overall. The last inning kind of got to me...I feel bad about making the bullpen cover three. Just needed to come out right there." Despite the early exit, Kershaw downplayed the severity, adding, "I think I’m all right, I think I’ll be good for the next start...I don’t think it’s too serious."
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the strain on Kershaw within the injury-plagued rotation, noting, "We’ve pushed him the last few starts...so for me to think that he’s going to try to keep going through the seventh just because it’s the seventh inning, I wasn’t going to do it. We were aligned in that." This outing evoked memories of Kershaw's previous no-hitter against Colorado on June 18, 2014, and his near-perfect game against the Angels in 2022, broken up by a double in the eighth.
Kershaw expertly navigated the Rockies' lineup, retiring the first 12 batters before issuing a walk in the fifth, quickly erased by a double play. Brenton Doyle's single in the sixth broke up the no-hit bid, but Kershaw promptly picked him off first base. "I definitely would have kept pitching if I had a no-hitter," Kershaw quipped.
The Dodgers provided early run support with two runs in the second and Martinez's two-run shot in the third off Connor Seabold (1-4). Martinez then launched his 18th homer of the season in the sixth, marking his 300th career home run. Reflecting on the achievement, Martinez shared, "It’s a blessing, honestly. From where I started...getting released by Houston...I never would have guessed it."
After some late-game drama with Phil Bickford loading the bases in the ninth, closer Evan Phillips came in to secure the victory and his 11th save.
Coors Field, known as a hitter's park, has only witnessed one no-hitter, thrown by Hideo Nomo in 1996, also for the Dodgers. On the injury front, the Dodgers anticipate the return of Julio Urías on Saturday, while the Rockies activated C.J. Cron and expect Kris Bryant to begin a rehab assignment soon.
The Dodgers will employ a bullpen game on Wednesday against Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland.
