PHOENIX (AP) - Daniel Descalso and David Peralta did something no two players had ever done before against Clayton Kershaw in the same game.
It was that kind of night for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Descalso and Peralta became the first lefty-batting teammates to homer off Kershaw in the same game, lifting the Diamondbacks over the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-1 on Tuesday night.
The solo shots by a pair of veterans who entered a combined 2 for 21 against the three-time NL Cy Young Award winner supplied enough offense for Zack Godley, who pitched seven effective innings.
“I think lefties are still allowed to get hits off him,” Descalso said.
Occasionally, anyway.
It’s just the fourth time Kershaw (0-2) has allowed two homers to left-handed hitters in the same game - the previous occasions were multihomer efforts by Washington’s Adam Dunn, Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez and Cincinnati’s Jay Bruce.
“I kind of went through this last year early on against lefties,” Kershaw said. “I felt I maybe figured some things out towards the end. I made two mistakes and sometimes mistakes stay in the ballpark but tonight they didn’t and it ended up costing us the game.”
John Ryan Murphy added a home run off Zach Neal as the Diamondbacks made it two in a row over the Dodgers, following their 15-inning, 8-7 triumph - a 5-hour, 45-minute marathon that didn’t end until the wee hours Tuesday morning.
“That was a tremendous effort,” manager Torey Lovullo said, “on a night when everybody was tired and cranky.”
Arizona won its eighth straight regular-season game over the Dodgers, but Los Angeles swept the Diamondbacks in last year’s National League Division Series.
Godley allowed one run and four hits in his season debut.
“You know, Kershaw is one of the best to ever do it,” Godley said, “and to be able to go out there and go inning-for-inning with him is awesome.”
Kershaw went six innings and was charged with two runs and four hits. The left-hander has allowed three runs in two starts, all on solo homers. He lost 1-0 on opening day to San Francisco on Joe Panik’s home run - another shot by a lefty.
“Two mistakes tonight against the lefties,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He tried to execute a fastball away and it leaked back to the middle of the plate. Yeah, he has giving up three homers to lefties, but I think it is just a misfire, miss-execution. I don’t think there’s anything more to it.”
Scott Alexander and Pedro Baez walked in a combined three runs in the seventh to pad Arizona’s lead.
Descalso was 2 for 14 against Kershaw before hitting a booming shot over the swimming pool in right field in the second.
“Kershaw’s one of the best out there so you’re trying to be ready for his mistakes, one of his few mistakes,” Descalso said. “He threw me a fastball pretty much middle-middle and I was able to put a good swing at it.”
The Dodgers tied it in the third when Austin Barnes led off with a double, advanced on Kershaw’s sacrifice and scored when Chris Taylor flew out to deep center. But Arizona regained the lead 2-1 in its half of the third. Peralta, hitless against Kershaw in eight career at-bats, hit a leadoff home run just over the right-field fence.
Arizona expanded its lead after Kershaw’s departure.
With runners at first and second and nobody out, the Diamondbacks sent reliever Jorge De La Rosa up to put down a sacrifice, but Alexander walked him to load the bases. After one out, Alexander walked Ketel Marte on a 3-2 pitch to bring in a run. Baez relieved Alexander and walked Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock to score two more.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Diamondbacks: Placed 3B Jake Lamb on the 10-day disabled list with an injured left shoulder (sprained left AC joint). He was hurt making a diving catch of a foul ball in the ninth inning Monday night but stayed in the game, singled in the 15th inning and scored the tying run with a head-first dive at the plate.
UP NEXT
LHP Alex Wood, who allowed one hit in eight scoreless innings but got no decision against the Giants in his season debut last Friday, takes the mound for Los Angeles and Arizona goes with LHP Patrick Corbin, who won his first career opening-day start Thursday.
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