Clayton Kershaw turned in a positive first start and Chris Taylor provided the difference for the Los Angeles Dodgers in their 7-5 win over the Kansas City Royals. The matchup at Surprise Stadium marked the first time this spring the Dodgers played nine innings.
Whit Merrifield led off the bottom of the first inning with a double but was quickly erased when Max Muncy caught a line drive and threw to second. A chopper up the middle then got Kershaw out of the inning on just seven pitches.
The Dodgers again put the leadoff man on in the second inning, with Chris Taylor hitting a double to the left-center field gap.