Kershaw KO'd early in blowout

Clayton Kershaw took one on the chin Tuesday night... and then some.

Facing a good hitting team in the Brewers, Kershaw lasted only 1 1/3 innings, getting pounded for seven runs on five hits, three walks, and two hit batsmen. The result was an early 7-0 hole, and the Brewers took this one with ease, 11-6.

Obviously anytime your starting pitcher can't even get out of the second inning, it's a disappointment. Factor that in with the rest of the staff struggling to start the year, and you can bet how hard it was to watch the "ace" of the staff get rocked.

It all started in the second inning, though the first two men reached for the Brewers to lead off the game, but were stranded. Corey Hart walked and Greg Zaun was plunked, which led to an RBI single from Alcides Escobar. Pitcher Chris Narveson then struck out, and there was one on and one down.

The top of the order came back up, and boy did they ever get the job done. A single by Rickie Weeks loaded the bases. Then runs were scored on Chris Gomez's beaning, Ryan Braun's three-run double, and Prince Fielder's two-run homer. Ramon Ortiz came in next and eventually surrendered a two-run shot to Zaun.

So, before the Dodgers could even get their #4 hitter up, the Brewers were up 9-0.

About the only good news to come out of this game was that once the score went to 10-0, the Dodgers at least tacked some runs on to make it look not quite as embarrassing. James Loney had a three-run homer in the eighth. But make no mistake about it, this was a beatdown from the start.

If it was some end-of-rotation guy getting shelled, you can pretty much understand it. But for Kershaw, more is expected of him. Part of that is because we know what he's capable of. The other part is that the staff doesn't have a true ace, so Kershaw is looked upon to be one. Fair or not, it's the way it is.

Kershaw is still only 22-years-old, and that's something that needs to be put in perspective. He's not ready to be an ace yet, but maybe he shouldn't be at this point. He's going to have games he's brilliant, and he'll have games in which he struggles to throw a strike. Last night was the latter, and to the extreme.

One positive on the pitching side of this game was Charlie Haeger. Granted, he was pitching without any pressure because his team was getting killed, but he still only gave up one run in four innings, striking out three. Maybe he's found a new role. At the very least, he may have bought himself more time to stay with the big club.

After such a strong start to the homestand, the wheels on the bus came to a screeching halt with this loss. The Brewers are third in the NL in runs scored, so getting that offense under control is hard to do. Kershaw flopped, so Chad Billingsley and John Ely will now have their chances.

Billingsley has been on an upswing lately, coming off of two good starts. But, those were against the Nationals and Pirates. Facing the Brewers' lineup is a whole different challenge. If he can put in another quality start and get the win, then maybe he would officially be back on track.