The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 21

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013 C3 LATIMES.COMSPORTS BASEBALL Crawford makes a quick impression os Angeles (Times Returning from injury sooner than expected, the Dodgers' leadoff batter raises hopes with his speed. ing good on his pledge and opening the season as the Dodgers' left fielder and leadoff hitter, Crawford offered a confession: He was bluffing the whole time. "I didn't know for sure," Crawford said after collecting a single and a double and scoring a run in the Dodgers' 4-0 opening-day win over the San Francisco Giants. "I can't say I knew for sure." Surgical procedures on his left wrist and elbow limited Crawford to 31 games with the Boston Red Sox last season. So when the Dodgers acquired Crawford and his oversized salary just five days after he underwent Tommy John surgery in August, it looked like a monstrously questionable move.

But if the four-time AU-Star continues to play the way he did Monday against the San Francisco Giants, the deal could wind up being a steal. In his first at -bat as a Dodger, Crawford beat out an infield single. He was thrown out trying to steal third later in the inning. But, in his final at-bat, Crawford doubled to the opposite field, then scored on a wild pitch for the Dodgers' second run. The performance was vintage Crawford, said teammate Nick Punto, who played against him for years in the American League before following him to Boston and, later, Dodger Stadium.

"That's the Carl Crawford that frustrates the heck out of defenses and teams," he said. "If we can have that catalyst at the top of the lineup, that's going be a huge lift for us." Matt Kemp agreed. "He's going to be big for us this year as our leadoff hitter," Kemp said. "If he gets on base, he's going to be dangerous because he can steal some bases and do a lot of great things on the base- LUIS SlNCO Los Angeles Times WITH AN INFIELD SINGLE in his first at-bat, Carl Crawford shows what he can do for the Dodgers. He also hit a two-run double and scored in the eighth.

By Kevin Baxter All spring, Carl Crawford told anyone who would listen that he would be ready for the Dodgers' game on opening day. He told the trainers who stood in the batting cage counting his swings to protect his surgically repaired elbow. He told the doctors who found nerve irritation in his forearm and ordered him to stop throwing. He even told his manager, Don Mat-tingly, whose best -case scenario early on had Crawford starting the season a couple of weeks late. But Monday, after mak great," he said softly.

"My emotions were really running high, I was really excited about today. It was a feeling I haven't had in a while. "I was looking forward to it, and I was just really happy to be out there." kevin.baxterlatimes.com twitter.comkbaxterll I feel a lot healthier than I've felt in the last two years," he said. "I like my chances right now." And after Monday, he likes the Dodgers' chances too. "This has been one of the most exciting opening days I've been a part of.

To feel that energy out there, everybody screaming, it was just DODGERS FYI Working the count works out nicely By Dylan Hernandez Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants matched the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw zero for zero through the first six innings. Then Cain had to be taken out. The reason: He had already thrown 92 pitches. That could have been the difference in the Dodgers' season-opening 4-0 victory over the Giants on Monday. "That's what you've got to do when you're facing aces, get them out of the game quickly," Dodgers catcher A.

J. Ellis said. Kershaw went the distance, throwing 94 pitches in a four-hit shutout. The key inning for the Dodgers was the first, when they failed to score but forced Cain to throw 29 pitches. "You look at the good of what comes out of something like that," Andre Eth-ier said.

"Guys went out there and had tough at-bats." Carl Crawford led off the first with an infield single. The next batter, Mark Ellis, was hit by a pitch. Matt Kemp followed, and he struck out. But on reflection, several players pointed to his 11-pitch at-bat as a potential game changer. Kemp fell behind, 0-2, but worked the count full.

He stayed alive by fouling off five pitches. Kemp said the pitch he missed for the third strike was probably a ball, but recognized the importance of his at-bat. "You have a guy like Matt Cain that's really good, you have to battle against him, try to get him out of the game," Kemp said. "He struck me out, but maybe I got him a little tired, wore him down a little bit." Adrian Gonzalez walked, moments after Crawford was thrown out trying to steal third base. Ethier struck out to end the inning.

paths." To do that, though, he'll have to stay healthy, something that's been a challenge for Crawford, who sat out more games than he played the last two years. But he promises he's not fibbing when he says he thinks those days are behind him. "I definitely feel better about the way my body feels. LUIS SlNCO Los Angeles Times Christina House For The Times Gonzalez said. He could soon be paid as though he is.

Kershaw won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2014 season, but he and the Dodgers were known to be talking about a long-term contract extension in the day leading up to the season opener. Kershaw said multiple times during spring training that he did not want to negotiate once the season started but wouldn't say Monday if that was still the case. General Manager Ned Colletti and other team officials also refused to comment on the talks. dylan.hernandezlatimes.com A SHUTOUT of Giants earned Clayton Kershaw a cold Kershaw does it all in shower from Matt Kemp. An interviewer got wet too.

opening-day victory It had been awhile Clayton Kershaw's go-ahead eighth-inning home run was the first home run in his five-year career. IT WAS The first home run hit by a pitcher on opening day since Joe Magrane's in 1988. The first home run by a Dodgers pitcher on opening day since Don Drysdale's in 1965. KERSHAW ALSO Pitched the sixth shutout of his career, and the first opening-day shutout by a Dodger since Hideo Nomo'sin2003. AND Kershaw became the first pitcher to throw a shutout and hit a home run on opening day since Bob Lemon did it for the Cleveland Indians in 1953.

By the time the seventh inning came around, Giants Manager Bruce Bochy had no intention of gambling with his ace's arm and replaced him with George Kontos, who served up the go-ahead home run to Kershaw an inning later. "It was his first outing," Bochy said. "It's a long season. You always look at the big picture." Short hops The Dodgers won on opening day for the third consecutive year and for the fifth time in six years. Gonzalez singled in the fourth inning, extending to hitting streak to 16 games, dating to Sept.

19 last season Luis Cruz was intentionally walked in the eighth inning. The walk was Cruz's first since Aug. 29. Cruz didn't draw a single walk over the final 31 games of 2012. dylan.hernandezlatimes.com www.BostonMedicaIGroup.com jaHKi Dodgers, from CI Kershaw out for a curtain call.

But he remained on the bench. "I had to think about getting three more outs," Kershaw said. After the Dodgers scored three more runs that inning, Kershaw put the final touches on his masterpiece. AU-Star Pablo Sandoval grounded out weakly to third base for the final out. Kershaw threw 94 pitches, making it by far the most efficient of his six shutouts.

The fewest pitches he threw in any of his previous shutouts was 111. "That's the thing when you start facing these pitchers with the dominant stuff: Hitters don't want to get deep into counts," Ellis said. The National League's strikeout leader in 2011 and runner-up last year, Kershaw struck out seven. "He's getting a lot of easier, cheaper outs that are giving him the 10- and 11-pitch innings as opposed to the 19-and 20-pitch innings," Ellis said. Kershaw's low pitch count granted him the opportunity to win the game.

He was first batter up in the bottom of the eighth inning with the score still 0-0. Under such circumstances, managers often remove their pitcher for a pinch-hitter. Not Don Mattingly. Not here. Kershaw had thrown 85 pitches to that point.

His pitch limit had been set at 105 and Mattingly figured he foul ball on opening day at Dodger Stadium, where a Dodgers beat their archrivals at the renovated ballpark. Erectile Dysfunction? Low Sex Drive? Boston Medical Group physicians have successfully treated nearly a million men over the last 1 5 years. Revolutionary Combination Therapy for hard-to-treat ED 98 Effective for men of all ages Ask about our fast acting FANS TRY TO CATCH a sellout crowd watched the could get at least one more scoreless inning out of his ace. For that, he was willing to sacrifice an out. The decision had an unexpected offensive benefit, as Kershaw homered for the first time in 335 plate appearances in his career.

The only other home run Kershaw had hit as a professional was during spring training on his 21st birthday. Ellis said he would have to find a new way to rib his battery mate and friend, as he was in the habit of telling him every March 19, "It's the anniversary of the only home run of your life." Crawford followed Kershaw's blast with a double down the left-field line and advanced to third on Mark Ellis' bunt single. Santiago Casilla replaced Kontos and promptly threw a wild pitch to Kemp, allowing Crawford to score. Kemp walked and Giants Manager Bruce Bochy called on left-hander Jeremy Affeldt to face left-handed-hitting Adrian Gonzalez. Affeldt hit Gonzalez with a pitch, loading the bases.

Two groundouts scored two runs, increasing the Dodgers' lead to 4-0. After the victory, Kershaw's teammates raved about what they had seen. "To me, he's probably the best pitcher in baseball," sublinguals Premature Climax? Delay climax and prolong performance with our proprietary treatment: IMPEREX tablets! Call Today! (877) 657-5874.