MESA, Ariz. — Clayton Kershaw survived a scary incident in the Dodgers’ 2-1 win over the Oakland A’s. His postgame comments are above. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said “it obviously scared all of us a little bit, but once we get out there you could tell he wasn’t totally” hurt. You can view/hear his comments here.
The starting pitching matchup between Kershaw and Oakland A’s ace Sonny Gray was predictably well pitched. J.P. Howell, Adam Liberatore and David Aardsma all pitched scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
And this is why spring training wins, losses and ties mean little. Blake Smith, an outfielder-turned-pitcher who finished last year at Double-A, was sent out for the ninth inning to protect a 2-1 lead. He did not. The A’s loaded the bases and won the game 3-2 on a two-out RBI single (after a nice double play turned by first baseman Cody Bellinger).
For the record, the Dodgers’ Cactus League record is 8-4-6. The box score is here.
Some more observations from the Dodgers’ first game of the day (the split-squad game in San Antonio begins at 5 p.m.):