Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Clayton Kershaw is Pitching Like an Ace, Again

Clayton Kershaw

Those who thought Clayton Kershaw‘s demise were greatly exaggerated. The 2020 version of Kershaw is pitching like the vintage Kershaw of the olden days and the Dodgers desperately need it. Ok maybe they don’t desperately need it, but it’s very valuable right now. Walker Buehler has sucked this year and is battling blisters. David Price opted out and the rest of the rotation is filled with untested rookies.

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Kershaw is back to being in the conversation for the National League Cy Young and he owes a great deal of it to his experience with Driveline. So far through six starts and 36 frames Kershaw is 5-1 with a 1.50 ERA. He’s struck out 41, walked only 6 and given up just 5.0 hits per nine innings. His strikeouts per nine are well up from last year (10.3) and he’s allowed just five home runs. Kershaw has allowed just six earned runs all season.

Some of the success can be accredited to an increase in fastball velocity. Beyond the box score’s Devan Fink takes a great look at Kershaw’s souped up fastball and the results from improving his fastball offerings. He may not be the pitcher he once was, but he’s a pitcher who is constantly evolving.

Scott Andes

Scott Andes: Longtime writer and Dodger fanatic

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Scott Andes
Scott Andes: Longtime writer and Dodger fanatic
https://ladodgerreport.com

15 thoughts on “Clayton Kershaw is Pitching Like an Ace, Again

  1. Yeah, nice to see he has regained his confidence After the A$$tros debacle.

    BUT, he cannot do it alone. Buehler looked bad today with his blister probs. Urias is same old Urias. Wood questionable. May “might” hold his own, but unproven. Could use Maeda, Ryu, and Strips back.

    Lux got the YIPS, and still lost at the plate, even though he hit one out tonight.

    Bluto, did you take off those rose colored glasses yet? I thought you tossed them last year.

    Look out for SD and Cubbies. Darvish got his mojo back too…. Recovered the same as Kershaw. Rocks could be Dodgers demise in the playoffs.

    Nothing is a cakewalk, Dodger fans.

    1. Nothing rose colored my friend. The Dodgers are the best team in the league.

      They prolly won’t win the WS, but they’re the best team.

  2. Well, Kershaw unfortunately had a bad game. No consistency. Maybe spoke too soon that “The Ace is Back”.

    Also have many offensive and defensive inconsistencies.

    Cannot win with all the inconsistencies. Cannot win WS without consistency… something we may both agree with, Bluto.

    They may be the best team in baseball, but way too inconsistent , no thanks to DR’s erratic lineup decisions. Starting itching is too weak… not WS championship caliber. Thr bullpen is tanked. Jansen still undependable.

    1. Gerrit Cole has lost four straight, I wouldn’t sweat Jansen and Kershaw in their 30s starting to regress.

      As to glorifying consistency? Oh, we don’t agree on that. IN fact it’s a little naive.

      Last year’s Washington was everything BUT consistent. Their bullpen atrocious, they started the season abysmally. The key to winning the world series is luck, more times than not. Just think about Howie Kendrick.

      It’s the best run team in MLB, the deepest and consistently among the very top.

      What more do we need as fans?

      Be a fan, Bluefan. Enjoy it and have fun?

      1. LOL… I don’t know what brand of anti-perspiration agent you are using, but I sweat every time Jansen comes in, especially with a man on base. I sweat for Kershaw, because I want him to do well.

        Glass still half empty for me, Bluto.

        My picks for WS are currently, Cubs vs. Twins, but what do I know.

        Go Blue, prove me wrong.

        1. Well, not only are you and I terribly uninformed about baseball, but we’re (sadly) the only ones left here.

          Enjoy and be well.

          1. Yeah… where is everybody?

            I might as well be talking to a wall! So, I guess really nothing new.

            This pandemic is real. If Scott has a contest, we got a 50/50 chance to win!

            Stay safe, and continue to root our Dodgers on. Maybe a miracle will happen.

  3. Don’t need a miracle.

    Just need luck.

    I like your thinking about a contest.

    We could also have fun. We could turn the next thread into a taste great, less filling endless dialogue.

    Oh well, stay safe.

  4. Well, our Doggers escaped Chase Field (chasing their tails) with a series win, BUT barely, struggling against one of the worst teams in baseball. May and Buehler injured, Kershaw had a rough outing. Defensive lapses, base running brain farts, players playing out of position. West lead shrinks to 3.5 and the red hot, rebuilt Padres are right on their tails. Tough schedule with A$$tros, Padres, A’s, Rockies, and the pesty Angels to close the season.

    Dodgers may end up West #2, and possible first round matchup with The “hated ones”, the always tough Rockies, the surprising Marlins or even the hungry Cards or Philles, who they have not seen yet, this covid season.

    Gonna’ Be a Wild Ride. No guarantees to make World Series AGAIN, or even get out of the first round, Dodger Fans. Our Doggers better wake up, or there will be a lot of disappointed cardboard cutouts.

    Cone on, Blue, snap out of it! DR, if they do not win the WS again, this one is on you.

  5. I am not gone but just wonder where Bear and Badger are? I think Dave Roberts continues to put out lineups that make no sense. Putting in Betts at 2nd made no sense. Did losing Turner for the past several games cause the defense to suck? Anyway, you folks have a good day.

  6. What’s up, Package. Good to hear from you.

    Well, we got You, Michael N, Bluto, and Me. We can do a Rock-Paper-Scissor Semi-final and Coin flip final for Scott’s Grand Prize.

    Dodger fans intend to greet the A$$tro bus at Dodger Stadium Gate, planes dragging banners, and who knows what else. I hope DR does not concoct one of his “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe” lineups this weekend. All they need to do is get embarrassed by the “Cheaters”. I hope our pitchers are up to the challenge .

    BTW…. Maeda Watch. 7 innings of shutout baseball, 7 KO’s, 94 pitches, to go with his near no hitter his last start. Sure could use him back, but he would just get yanked after 5 innings or 75 pitches, or would be in the bullpen for the stretch run. Dodgers really did not give him a fair shake. They took advantage of his unselfish team spirit, to do what ever the team wanted him to do. Robbed him of incentives, while they stuck with other inferior starters, and called for Kenta to bolster the “taxed” bullpen. Kudos to Kenta! 5-1, 2.43 ERA, AS A STARTER.

    Don’t forget Yu Darvish. A strong Cy Young candidate. He, like Kershaw finally showing recovery after the A$$tro scandal… took them 2 years to recover their mental strength. Dodgers could definitely use Darvish and Maeda back… even Could use Chicken Strips (who, like Kenta, was unfairly mis-managed)

    We can accept nothing less than a sweep of the A$$tro Cheaters.

  7. After a slow start, Urias and the Dodgers took command, BUT a 3-run cushion was not enough fir “Gas-Kenley”.

    What a disappointing and embarrassing loss to the “Cheaters”, who needed no trash cans to smack 5 straight hits off Jansen, to steal the game.

    Poor Dodger fans, who showed up at the Gate, to represent. Gas-Kenley messed that all up, didn’t he? Muncy, Belli, and Betts fail to show up. Offense totals 13 strikeouts…. pathetic.

  8. Kershaw was dealing tonight, but his team did not back him up, both offensively and defensively. Other than Kershaw, the team looked like a deer in headlights… especially Muncy. DR then, prematurely yanks Kershaw from the epic pitching duel, rather than letting Clayton work out of the 7th.

    DR once again played “innie-minnie-minney-moe“ with the lineup and defensive alignment. The defense was totally out of sync, leading to sloppy play. A hot Pollock sits, while a .178 Pederson bats 3rd, and a .198 Muncy bats cleanup. … really? Offense has a total of 14 KO’s. Cannot win if you don’t score runs…. you cannot score runs with 4 Mendozas and Bellinger in the lineup. Betts looking lost at the plate, taking way too many strikes right in his wheelhouse…maybe still in shock, after his failed attempt to return to 2nd base.

    Dodgers lose the 1st game of a critical series. Padres are hot, and are determined to bring down the NL West leaders. Dodgers better wake up. All they did tonight is give SD more cockiness and confidence. Another loss attributed to DR’s questionable management decisions.

    Our Dodgers might end up being eliminated in the first round, as I had predicted. One game like this in a 3-game series would be a nail in the coffin. Dodgers are too soft…. no fighting spirit.

  9. Well, no “Ace” last night, as Kershaw was definitely not at the top of his game (again). This really concerns me, and I’m sure a lot of Dodger fans. The icing on the upside-down cake was Mike Trout’s 3-run blast, which led to Clayton’s early shower.

    So, bottom line is…. the team’s veteran ace has shown he is vulnerable to the dinger (without trash cans), and not as sharp as he should be. The ace heir-apparent, “Bueh-tane”, is questionable with his blister prone finger. May and Urias may be relegated to the bulllpen for bullpen games. Their only hope now is Gonsolin. Will DR let the kid go, or will he yank him early and depend on his weary bullpen (With no legitimate closer) to finish the game and clean the litter box? It is a shame that the Dodgers cannot even field a three-man starting rotation. That is not promising, in October.

    The HR barrage continues, led by JT’s two dingers last night. JT has earned the Campanella Award, for sure. Thank goodness for the Angels’ weak pitching staff. Can the offense keep the runs coming against more formidable pitching staffs in the playoffs? The questionable Dodger pitching staff will definitely need a lot of run support. Great to see Muncy coming around, but he still needs some fine tuning. Cody is still struggling. Sure he got a few hits the past few games, but he has been unable to “barrel it up” with solid contact. Will Bellinger be able to right the ship in October, or will he “Belli-flop” and give the fans a “Belli-ache”? If “Belli” tanks in the playoffs, He may have to “add” “-flop”, “-ache” To his nickname, or simply change his nickname to “Pepto” next year.

    Gnats, Reds, Phils, Brewers, Cards…. take your pick for Wild Card. I would probably prefer they play the Gnats, but a Wild Card loss to the “Hated Ones“ would be extremely painful. The other four teams, the Dodger bats have not seen yet, and they definitely have better pitching staffs than the Weak West…. scary thought, isn’t it?

    Three-Game series’ do not favor the Dodgers at this time. Rally Cap time, Dodger Fans.

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