MIAMI -- Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw flashed some no-hit stuff Tuesday night as he continued to build up his arm.
In a lopsided matchup between a future Hall of Famer and Rookie-level hitters, Kershaw twirled six hitless innings against the Reds' Arizona Complex League affiliate. Righty Yoryi Simarra extended the no-hit bid through the seventh inning before the ACL Reds finally connected in the eighth.
Kershaw struck out four against one walk in his fourth Minor League rehab outing. His pitch count was not available, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had said earlier Tuesday the aim was to get the 37-year-old lefty stretched out to around six innings and 90 pitches.
It represented more steady progress for Kershaw -- who threw five innings on 66 pitches in his previous rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City last Wednesday -- as he works toward his return from offseason surgeries on his left toe and left knee.
Kershaw is on the 60-day injured list and cannot be activated until May 17 at the earliest. He won't necessarily be back with the big league club as soon as he's eligible, but he should be lined up to make at least one more rehab start before that date comes.
The Dodgers aren't rushing Kershaw back, but they could certainly use another healthy arm in the rotation. They're using only four pitchers in traditional starting roles, with two members of the Opening Day rotation -- Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow -- on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation. Both are currently shut down from throwing. The club is also likely a couple of months away from getting Shohei Ohtani back as a pitcher.
Before Kershaw began his rehab assignment, he said that while his arm is in great shape, his surgically repaired toe has taken more time to come around, affecting the final push-off in his delivery. Roberts has said that Kershaw has felt incrementally better with every outing he gets under his belt.