Jack Flaherty dominates first start in Dodger blue

Flaherty pitched six scoreless frames while striking out seven against the Oakland Athletics. He put any questions about his health to rest, with his fastball topping out at 95.2 mph and generating 16 swings and misses. 

Flaherty’s biggest test came in the sixth inning when he got into a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam. With the Dodgers hanging onto a 2-0 lead, Flaherty got a strikeout and induced two ground balls to get out of it unscathed.

"He knows how to pitch," A's manager Mark Kotsay said. "He pitched out of that jam in the sixth. That was Dave [Roberts] showing confidence in him to leave him out there."

The Dodgers would go on to win the game in blowout fashion, 10-0, ending a three-game losing streak.

Flaherty’s arrival in Los Angeles comes at a time when the Dodgers desperately need pitching help.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler and Michael Grove are on the injured list. Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May are both out for the year, and Bobby Miller is still working his way back after being optioned to the minors. 

Clayton Kershaw just returned from shoulder surgery but had one of his worst career starts against the San Diego Padres last week, going 3.2 innings and giving up seven runs.