MIAMI _ The most consecutive strikeouts ever by a pitcher to start a game is eight _ a number hit twice and most recently by Jacob deGrom against the Miami Marlins in 2014.
Clayton Kershaw was one pitch away Wednesday from putting the Marlins on the list again. The starting pitcher struck out the side in the first, then did the same in the second. He started the third inning with a strikeout, too, and got to a two-strike count against Lewis Brinson before the outfielder staved off history by hitting an easy ground ball to the shortstop.
By then, Miami was already well on its way to a second straight blowout loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers hit two home runs in the first inning, then blasted two more across the final eight innings to secure a 9-1 rout of the Marlins in Miami.
It's no secret the gulf is wide between the Marlins (44-75) and Los Angeles. Miami has the worst record in the National League. The Dodgers (81-41) are tied for the best record in all of MLB. The disparity was evident Tuesday when Los Angeles crushed six homers to pile up 15 runs at Marlins Park.
It was even more evident Wednesday. The Dodgers dominated Miami both at the plate and on the mound to strengthen their hold on the top seed in the NL and further cement the Marlins to the league's cellar. Kershaw took a perfect game into the fifth inning. Los Angeles belted four more home runs, all off pitcher Elieser Hernandez before Miami finally went to the bullpen down 6-0 in the top of the seventh.
With more than a month left in the regular season, the Dodgers' latest win has their magic number to clinch the NL West down to 22. The Marlins, who are more than 25 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East and more than 18 games back of the second wild card spot, had their elimination number drop to 17 with their 10th loss in 12 games.
Before Kershaw could even begin his first run at history, Los Angeles opened up a 3-0 lead. Hernandez (2-5) started off with two strikeouts of his own before giving up a solo home run to third baseman Justin Turner. Down 1-0 with two outs, Miami put on a shift against Cody Bellinger and the MVP contender dropped out a bunt single to the open side of the diamond. Shortstop Corey Seager followed it with another home run _ the Dodgers' eighth in their last six innings _ to take a 3-0 lead.
Hernandez, who gave up six earned runs on eight hits and four home runs with seven strikeouts in his six innings, finally got out of the inning when utility player Jon Berti ran from his shortstop position into left field to make a diving catch. Kershaw (12-2) could go to work in front of 8,810.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner looked uncharacteristically human for the first few months of the season before he rounded into his usual All-Star form beginning last month. He began July with a 3.23 ERA and, after Wednesday, he has allowed only seven earned runs in 47 innings since.
He started one of his most dominant outings of the season with five straight swinging strikeouts, all with breaking balls, before he froze Ramirez with a fastball at the bottom of the zone for his sixth. He beat catcher Jorge Alfaro with another slider to start the third and come within one strikeout of another spot in the record books.
Brinson's groundout finally ended one quest for history, but the left-handed pitcher kept another alive until the fifth inning. Kershaw ended the third inning with his eighth strikeout, then added a ninth as part of a 1-2-3 fourth inning. He got two more quick outs to start the fifth before Ramirez finally squared up a slider and lined it 99 mph out to right field. The outfielder was the Marlins' first baserunner of the game after the first 14 all went down against the lefty.
Only one other for Miami would follow Ramirez's lead against Kershaw when slugger Garrett Cooper legged out an infield single in the seventh. Kershaw left after seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts and only two hits allowed and by then his team had saddled him with a 9-0 lead. After two games of a three-game series, Los Angeles is outscoring the Marlins, 24-2.
