You may have heard this one before, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are once again kings of the National League West division. The Dodgers officially clinched the crown Tuesday night with a 4-0 road win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, with Clayton Kershaw pitching a gem.
After the game, Clayton Kershaw gave a little speech in the locker room to thank his teammates and show that he's not taking his time with the Dodgers for granted.
Clayton Kershaw was in his vintage form against the Diamondbacks, as he tossed seven scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out five Arizona hitters to collect his eighth win of the 2022 MLB season. For the Dodgers, that was their fourth-straight victory which also moves them a win away from sweeping Arizona in this three-game set.
The Dodgers are also now 98-43, 20.5 games ahead of the rest of the NL West division. The San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants, the two closest rivals of the Dodgers in the division, will have to go clinch wild-card tickets if they are to continue their campaign into the 2022 MLB postseason, now that Clayton Kershaw and Los Angeles have sealed the deal in the NL West.
Clayton Kershaw is having quite a revival this year. He now owns an 8-3 record with a 2.44 ERA and 0.93 WHIP across 18 starts, so far this season. After landing on the injured list and missing almost a month of action, Clayton Kershaw has looked phenomenal on the mound. In three starts since his return, he had given up only three earned runs on seven hits with 19 strikeouts over 18.0 innings.