Cody Snavely
On the 200th episode of the Bleed Los Podcast, the official podcast of DodgersBeat, it was announced by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts himself that it was a “safe bet” that Clayton Kershaw would start NLDS game one at Dodgers Stadium this Saturday.
Leading up to the point, the health of Clayton Kershaw and his decreased velocity were a huge red flag as the team got closer to October. After a lousy start in Miami, which saw Kershaw have horrible command and an 89 MPH fastball, many fans, including myself, were now worried about Kershaw come the postseason. However, as stated in previous articles, Kershaw reiterated that he was fine and his shoulder was not bothering him.
Besides a hiccup in Miami, Kershaw has had an excellent 2nd half, ending it going 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits, ending his season with a 13-5 record and 2.46 ERA. The Dodgers have shown they do not need the 2014 MVP Kershaw, who will go seven or more innings but need a guy to get through the line-up two times and hand it over to the bullpen.
Here at DodgersBeat and the Bleed Los Podcast, I have argued that it makes more sense to go with Bobby Miller in game one over Kershaw simply because Miller has been the Dodgers best starter since his call-up in May. Miller, who has made every adjustment and continued to go deeper into games, seems ready for the test, but I can understand why they are going with Kershaw in game one instead.
Kershaw has been lined up as the “Saturday starter” since his shoulder flared up on him, and the NLDS opens on, you guessed it, a Saturday. This also allows Kershaw to start games one and five on regular rest due to how the NL postseason schedule lines up.
Be sure to check out the Bleed Los Podcast’s latest episode with Dave Roberts, as it is not only the 200th episode but also with the Dodgers manager himself as we head into October this weekend.
