Clayton Kershaw overcomes a shoulder ailment to force the Dodgers into another postseason appearance.
(LOS ANGELES) – Clayton Kershaw is not the kind to make excuses. Whether it’s his health or his velocity, both of which have suffered in recent years, he’d prefer suffer in solitude.
“He’s a survivor, he’s a competitor,” said Dave Roberts, manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. “He just wills himself to great performance.”
The 100-win Dodgers will rely on Kershaw to start the NL Division Series opener against the 84-win Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday. During the season, he was 13-5 with a 2.46 ERA.
“He might not be throwing 95 like I used to face him 15 years ago,” teammate Freddie Freeman said Friday. “But he knows how to pitch and he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer for a reason.” “The velocity is 88, 89 right now and with that slider it’s still Clayton Kershaw.”
Kershaw has been out for almost a month due to a shoulder issue that neither he nor the Dodgers have disclosed. Since returning from the disabled list on Aug. 10, the team has carefully limited his outings, which have not exceeded five innings.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner could be in his final postseason at 35 and in his 16th season with the only big league team he’s ever played for.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a few years,” Roberts stated. “I’m not going to get caught not appreciating what he’s done for the Dodgers.”
Because of the turbulence during the season, the Dodgers’ postseason pitching has an unusual appearance. With right elbow injuries, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May were out for the season. Walker Buehler was ruled out of making an early comeback following Tommy John surgery, and Julio Uras was placed on paid administrative leave last month following claims of domestic abuse.
They’ll rely on Kershaw, veteran Lance Lynn, who’s in his first season in Los Angeles, and a group of rookies who started 52 of the 162 regular-season games last season. Bobby Miller, who will take the field in Game 2 on Monday, has made 22 starts. Emmett Sheehan, Michael Grove, Gavin Stone, and Ryan Pepiot are all in the running.
“They’re far better prepared than when I first arrived. “They’re ready for the moment, and I think they’ll do well,” Kershaw said of the young players. “It might look a little different than it has in years past, but it might work.”
Kershaw’s regular-season success has rarely carried to the postseason. In 38 career playoff appearances, he’s 13-12 with a 4.22 ERA and 213 strikeouts.
“At times maybe in the past I had a fear of failure and didn’t want to go out there and fail,” he told me. “It’s just a lot more positive now.” It’s simply nerves from enthusiasm about getting to pitch in the playoffs, about being a part of something that a lot of others in the game don’t get to do.”
Merrill Kelly of Arizona will face Kershaw in Game 1. In 16 starts versus the Dodgers, the right-hander is 0-11 with a 5.49 ERA.
“It’s a little bit of a mystery, a little bit of a puzzle for me to solve,” Kelly said of his slide. “We are diving into some different stuff and some different numbers and some different video to kind of figure out the different pieces of that puzzle.”
In Game 2, Zac Gallen gets the start. With a day off in between Games 1 and 2, Kelly and Gallen might throw in Games 4 and 5 if the series continues to a fifth game.
MORENO’S HEALTH D-backs catcher Gabriel Moreno is scheduled to start Saturday, three days after departing a win against the Brewers in the third inning due to a backswing to the head.
Moreno is not in concussion protocol, according to manager Torey Lovullo, despite being evaluated and monitored. “He continues to improve and show no symptoms whatsoever,” Lovullo said in a statement.
Moreno has emerged as one of the team’s best players, hitting .284 with seven homers during the regular season while doing a superb job handling the pitching staff.
ARIZONA’S MIGHTY PEN
The Diamondbacks have received a huge boost from their bullpen over the past month, particularly from middle relievers such as Andrew Saalfrank and Ryan Thompson.
“There’s probably tier one, tier two and tier three of guys I can go to that are going to go collect big outs,” Lovullo said. “It gives me a lot of versatility.”
The 26-year-old Saalfrank made his big league debut on Sept. 5 and almost immediately became a vital part of the staff, throwing 10 1/3 scoreless innings over the final month.
Thompson, 31, signed as a free agent with the D-backs in August after being released by the Rays. He allowed one run in 13 innings after joining his new squad.
Both pitchers faced the Brewers in both wild card games.
IT WAS SAID BY HIM
“It really messes up my college football watching.” Clayton Kershaw on making his fourth Saturday start in a row.
