Clayton Kershaw livid about getting pulled from game after five innings

Ellis said he was sitting on the bench with Scott Van Slyke and Heisey after the blowup, the Dodgers then trailing 3-0, when they had a thought.

Los Angeles Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw may not have had his best stuff Thursday, but it didn’t matter.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Patrick Corbin, left, wipes…

The 27-year-old lefty flashed signs of dominance, but had a poor start by his standards.

Now my colleague Bill Plaschke was disappointed Kershaw would not discuss the incident after the game, implying great leaders don’t leave his teammates in their wake to clean up after them.

Clayton Kershaw struck out nine batters on Thursday to move his season total up to 281.

Between innings, Kershaw was seen in the Dodgers’ dugout having an animated discussion with Mattingly. That decision did not sit well with him as the video above shows it.

A few minutes later, all was forgiven. And of course the Dodgers rallied. As for The Man, Chase Utley, he’s found himself in a role he’s not very familiar with: that of a utility player in Los Angeles.

The home run was the fourth grand slam of the season for the Dodgers, joining Joc Pederson (May 1), Alex Guerrero (June 2) and Justin Ruggiano (Sept. 11). Both parties seem to be over the issue, so there should be no bad blood moving forward.

Saturday: At San Diego, 5:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Jeremy Hellickson (9-10, 4.73) vs. Padres LHP Robbie Erlin (0-1, 21.00).

However, Los Angeles rallied in the fifth. Sergio Romo gave up a game-tying double to Matt Kemp in the eighth inning, and Josh Osich allowed a walk-off single in the ninth. A pair of three-run innings fittingly lifted New York over the Cincinnati Reds during a 6-4 victory.

The team will likely be without Yasiel Puig, at least for the NLDS, and will need Grandal to be that guy that steps up in the heart of the order behind the likes of Gonzalez and Turner. Daniel Murphy, Yoenis Cespedes and Lucas Duda combined to go seven for 12, with three runs scored and five RBI. The Rockies are in for the first three, and the Houston Astros, trying to claim a spot in post-season play, provide opposition for the last three games of the season.

Kershaw was limited to just five innings, snapping his streak of 31 consecutive quality starts at home, which dated back to September 13, 2013, the longest streak since earned runs became an official statistic in 1912, per the Elias Sports Bureau. Ahmed said Diamondbacks trainers also told him he might have sprained the AC joint in his left shoulder by landing hard on his side.

The big left-hander was queried as to whether this was the angriest he’s been in a baseball game.

With the loss, the Nationals dropped to 78-74 on the year. “If you guys want to talk about the game, I’m more than happy to talk about it”, he said. Check out our scoreboard.