Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw was simply magnificent against the Mets on Thursday. Kershaw tossed a complete game, three-hit shutout, blanking the Mets 3-0. Kershaw did not walk a batter and struck out 11. He needed just 104 pitches (79 strikes) to go the distance, as he completely overmatched a poor Mets offense.
Kershaw (8-6) carried a perfect game into the seventh inning, but Curtis Granderson ended that thought with a lead-off single. That was a mere blip on the radar for Kershaw, who has now thrown three consecutive shutouts.
He has struck out a whopping 38 batters over his last three starts, without issuing a single walk over that stretch. Kershaw has become the first pitcher since 1900 to have three straight starts of 10 or more strikeouts with no runs allowed, according to Elias.