LOS ANGELES — The Arizona Diamondbacks made a statement Saturday, using a six-run first inning against Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw to pave the way for an 11-2 road victory in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.
Gabriel Moreno hit a three-run home run in the first, while Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Tommy Pham all went deep later in the game as the Diamondbacks got off to a dream start in an effort to advance to the NL Championship Series for the first time since 2007. Pham had four hits.
Arizona right-hander Merrill Kelly (1-0), who does not have a win in 16 regular-season starts against Los Angeles, went 6 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the postseason win. He gave up three hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Kershaw gave up six runs on six hits with one walk while recording just one out before he was replaced by rookie right-hander Emmet Sheehan after facing eight batters.
Matching the shortest outing of his career, either regular season or playoffs, the future Hall of Famer needed 26 pitches to record his first and only out. His career playoff ERA rose to 4.49 in 39 appearances (32 starts).
Kershaw missed more than five weeks of the season with a shoulder injury and did not pitch more than 5 1/3 innings in eight starts after he returned.
It was an ominous beginning for the Dodgers when Arizona leadoff hitter Ketel Marte hit a line-drive double that hit off rookie center fielder James Outman’s glove. Carroll followed with an RBI single and Pham had a base hit of his own before Christian Walker doubled home Carroll for a 2-0 lead.
Moreno followed with his three-run home run more than halfway up the bleachers in left field. After Lourdes Gurriel Jr. grounded out to shortstop, Thomas walked and Evan Longoria hit a run-scoring double to left center to end Kershaw’s day.
Kershaw became the first pitcher in playoff history to give up five runs and five hits before recording an out, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Carroll gave the D-backs a 7-0 lead with a solo home run in a three-run second inning, while Gurriel added an RBI double and Longoria had a sacrifice fly.
Thomas gave Arizona its 10th run with a solo shot in the seventh inning after a 14-pitch at-bat against Dodgers right-hander Michael Grove. Pham hit a homer in the eighth.
The D-backs’ shutout bid ended in the eighth on a two-run triple by the Dodgers’ Will Smith.
–By Doug Padilla, Field Level Media