Do you remember how you spent your 21st birthday (assuming you have had it)? Clayton Kershaw spent his not only pitching five shutout innings in which he faced the minimum 15 batters in a Cactus League game, but also hitting a home run off Colorado’s Franklin Morales, and that was lefty vs. lefty. Kershaw got through those five innings on just 61 pitches, then went to the bullpen and threw 14 more. Why not just throw 75 pitches in the GAME, you ask?
“That was good,” Joe Torre said. “I didn’t want him to get too excited at that point. It was a good day’s work, five innings.”
Kershaw pitched three perfect innings on 33 pitches, then gave up one hit, a leadoff double by Carlos Gonzalez that was erased when Gonzalez lost track of the outs and got doubled off second on a line drive. There also was a leadoff walk to Matt Murton in the fifth that was erased when Jeff Baker GIDP’d.
After that, Kershaw said he was going to celebrate the big two-one by having dinner with his girlfriend and her parents.
“I have never actually had a drink in my life,” he said. “I might have to try it tonight.”

By the way, outfielder Jamie Hoffman was optioned to minor-league camp today. Also, Eric Stults struggled and only lasted 1 2/3 innings behind Kershaw, but Torre said he is still in the running for the fifth spot. Stephen Randolph, a long-shot candidate for the situational lefty slot, came on to face Dan Ortmeier with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh and struck him out. … Jeff Weaver, who is beginning to look like a lock for a bullpen spot, had a good eighth inning, allowing just one hit. … Ramon Troncoso, whose spot in the bullpen is far from a certainty, got two quick outs in the ninth before walking two of the next three batters and getting Carlos Gonzalez fly to left on a 2-0 count with the bases loaded to end the game. … Dodgers go to 11-10 for the spring. At the Royals tomorrow NIGHT. First one of the spring. It’s a 6:05 start.