Kershaw provides no relief in Game 3

The Dodgers icon looks to recuperate after stumbling against Phillies in the NLDS.

- By KEviIn BAXTER

If Wednesday's game proves to be the last one ina Dodgers uniform for Clayton Kershaw, it will do little to tarnish his legacy, said teammate Mookie Betts.

“He’s gonna have a statue, so we have to kind of keep that in mind,” Betts said. “In the grand scheme of things, Kershawis a first-ballot Hall of Famer, one of the best pitchers to ever doit.

“So if you let two innings kind of ruin that, then you don’t know baseball.”

But, Betts confessed, Kershaw’s relief appearance in Game 3 of the National League Division Series was hard to watch. In those two innings he gave up six hits, five runs, walked three and did not strike out a hitter, turning a tight game into an 8-2 rout for the Philadelphia Phillies, who staved off elimination and extended the best-of-five series to a fourth game Thursday.

“He just didn’t have a great slider tonight,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Clayton pitches off his slider. He was working behind, too. The command wasn't there tonight.”

Kershaw, who went 11-2. as a starter during the regular season, was left off the roster for the wildcard series and hadn't pitched in nine days when he started warmingup in the sixth inning Wednes-