Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Dominant in final spring start
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Kershaw tossed six scoreless innings in an exhibition contest against the Angels on Sunday, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out seven batters.
Kershaw breezed through six frames on just 74 pitches, and he stretched out even further by following the outing with a simulated inning in the bullpen, per David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports. The veteran southpaw got Mike Trout to go down three times on swinging strikes and fanned Shohei Ohtani on another swing-and-miss. Kershaw finished the exhibition slate with a 3.44 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 16:2 K:BB over 18.1 innings. He's scheduled to make his first start of the regular-season April 1 at home against Arizona.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Will start third game for LA
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Kershaw will make his first start of the regular season in the Dodgers' third game of the campaign, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
The Dodgers announced Friday that southpaw Julio Urias will be their Opening Day starter, and manager Dave Roberts prefers to avoid having a lefty start on back-to-back days. That means Dustin May will slot in between Urias and Kershaw, the latter of whom lines up to face fellow veteran southpaw Madison Bumgarner and the Diamondbacks on April 1.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Won't start Opening Day
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Julio Urias is likely to be named the Dodgers' Opening Day starter, with Kershaw following him in the rotation for the second game of the season, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
For the decade leading into last season, Kershaw and Opening Day went hand-in-hand, as the future Hall of Famer started every season opener in which he wasn't injured from 2011 to 2021. However, Walker Buehler was chosen as the team's first starter last season, and Urias appears to be in line for that honor this year. Nonetheless, Kershaw is coming off an excellent campaign during which he started the All Star game for the first time and finished with a 2.28 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 137:23 K:BB over 126.1 innings. The southpaw is about as much of a guarantee to put up strong ratios as any pitcher in baseball, but injuries have slowed his ability to put up big counting stats late in his career.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Unsteady in Cactus League start
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Kershaw pitched three innings against the Angels in a Cactus League contest Friday, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two batters.
Kershaw pitched in a B game last Sunday, but this was his first official appearance in a Cactus League contest this spring. His outing got off to a bad beginning when Taylor Ward greeted him with a leadoff home run, and Kevin Padlo also took the left-hander deep in the third inning. There were also positive takeaways from the start, as Kershaw tossed 58 pitches and said that he felt good physically while hitting 93 mph with his fastball, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. The future Hall of Famer averaged 91.6 mph on his fastball last season, so he appears to be progressing well toward a potential Opening Day start.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: To make spring debut Friday
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Kershaw is set to make his Cactus League debut Friday against the Angels, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Kershaw has been eased along this spring, and he opted to bow out of the World Baseball Classic, but there are no pressing injury concerns at the moment for the veteran left-hander. He tossed three innings in a B game Sunday in Dodgers camp and might try to push into the fourth inning in his spring debut versus the Halos.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Looks good in first spring action
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Kershaw tossed three innings in a B game Sunday, allowing one run on four hits while striking out four batters.
Kershaw has been ramping up somewhat slowly since it was announced that he will not be able to participate in the World Baseball Classic due to an issue securing insurance on his contract. However, he's reportedly in full health, and he showed that to be true with his strong outing Sunday. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated that Kershaw's next appearance will likely be in a Cactus League game, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: To throw in camp game
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Kershaw is scheduled to throw three innings in a camp game Sunday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports,
It will be his first live action of the spring. Kershaw pulled out of the World Baseball Classic because he was unable to obtain insurance for his contract with the Dodgers, but there is no current injury concern.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Officially missing WBC
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Kershaw announced Friday he will not participate in the World Baseball Classic, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Kershaw previously said he was facing "challenges" getting cleared to play in the WBC. While he still did not specify what those challenges were, he made sure to note there are no concerns regarding his health. Kershaw will now remain with the Dodgers for the rest of spring in preparation for the 2023 season.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: May miss WBC
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Kershaw is facing "challenges" to get cleared to play in the World Baseball Classic, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Kershaw is still listed on the Team USA roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, though both he and U.S. general manager Tony Reagins acknowledged he has yet to be cleared to pitch in the event. There were no specific reasons provided, though Harris noted that the most common delay is related to players obtaining insurance. Kershaw has been limited to 126 and 122 innings, respectively, in the last two seasons due to both shoulder and forearm inflammation in addition to back soreness, though there's no indication at this point that he's currently dealing with an injury.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Back with Los Angeles
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Kershaw agreed to a one-year, $20 million contract with the Dodgers on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Kershaw inked a $17 million deal for 2022 in the spring and will now be back with the Dodgers for a 16th season. The 34-year-old was limited to 22 starts but was lights out when available with a 2.28 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 137:23 K:BB across 126.1 frames. Kershaw shouldn't be expected to make 30 starts or approach 200 innings at this point in his career, but he should continue to be an effective rotation piece again in 2023.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Set to start Game 2
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Kershaw will start Game 2 of the NL Division Series against the Padres on Wednesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Kershaw's postseason debut will be pushed back a game in favor of Julio Urias, who will serve as the Dodgers' Game 1 starter Tuesday. The 34-year-old southpaw finished the regular season with a 2.28 ERA and 0.94 WHIP -- his lowest marks since 2016 (min. 100 innings). Kershaw's last appearance against the Padres came on July 3, when he shut out San Diego through seven innings and struck out eight batters.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Finishes sterling season with win
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Kershaw (12-3) earned the win over Colorado on Wednesday, pitching five innings and allowing one run on one hit and one walk while striking out nine batters.
The game was merely a playoff tune-up with no impact on seeding for the Dodgers, but Kershaw still completed five innings. He gave up only one hit -- Ezequiel Tovar's first major-league homer -- and fanned nine batters while throwing 53 of 72 pitches for strikes. Kershaw showed no signs of slowing down in his 15th big-league season, finishing with a 2.28 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 137:23 K:BB over 126.1 innings. His next start is almost certain to come in Game 1 or 2 of the NLDS.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Making abbreviated start Wednesday
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Kershaw will start the final game of the regular season Wednesday against the Rockies, but it will be an abbreviated outing, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
With it being a home start against the Rockies, Kershaw is still a great bet for a strong performance, but it's unclear how many innings he will pitch. Kershaw has a 1.50 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 40:7 K:BB in 36 innings this month.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Cruises to 11th win
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Kershaw (11-3) earned the win Friday over the Rockies. He threw six scoreless innings, striking out four and walking two while scattering five hits.
Kershaw has now won four straight starts, allowing just three runs over 25 innings in that span. He's picked up quality starts in his last five outings and didn't allow more than two runs in any of his six September starts. The southpaw lowered his ERA to 2.30 with a 0.96 WHIP and 128:22 K:BB through 121.1 innings across 21 starts. Kershaw is projected for one more start in the regular season, a rematch with the Rockies next week that would put him in line to start Game 1 of the NLDS.
Kershaw (10-3) earned the win during Saturday's 6-2 victory over St. Louis, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in six innings.
Kershaw tossed five scoreless frames before running into trouble during his third time through the lineup in the sixth, permitting both runs on a Nolan Arenado two-run shot. The 34-year-old tossed an efficient 64 of 88 pitches for strikes with an impressive 18 of the swinging variety and has won three straight starts while sporting a 1.80 ERA across 30 innings in five turns since returning from a back injury Sept. 1. Kershaw's 2.42. ERA and 0.95 WHIP would both rank top seven in MLB if he had enough innings to qualify, and those numbers represent his best marks in a full season since 2017.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Shows classic form in victory
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Kershaw (9-3) earned the win over Arizona on Monday, allowing one run on six hits and no walks while striking out 10 batters over six innings.
Kershaw dominated Diamondbacks hitters in the victory, racking up 19 swinging strikes and finishing with double-digit punchouts for the third time this season. The veteran southpaw notched his third straight quality start and gave up only one extra-base hit while limiting Arizona to a fifth-inning run. Kershaw has been outstanding since returning from a stint on the injured list Sept. 1, posting a 1.50 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 29:4 K:BB over 24 innings spanning four starts.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Twirls seven scoreless in win
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Kershaw (8-3) earned the win during Tuesday's 4-0 victory over Arizona, allowing two hits and one walk with five strikeouts in seven scoreless innings.
Kershaw delivered a vintage performance in limiting the Diamondbacks to only three baserunners, retiring 13 straight at one point. The 34-year-old fired 55 of 82 pitches for strikes, with 12 of the swinging variety, and has pitched to a 1.50 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 18 innings across three starts since returning from a back injury Sept. 1. Kershaw's 2.62 ERA and 0.97 WHIP would both rank top 10 among starters if he had enough innings to qualify. He's scheduled to take the mound again early next week for a rematch with Arizona.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Quality start against Giants
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Kershaw did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits over six innings in a 7-3 victory over San Francisco. He struck out eight.
Kershaw surrendered just one extra-base hit in the form of a two-run homer from David Villar to open the scoring in the fifth inning. This was just the third home run allowed by the lefty in his last eight starts, and he has a 2.28 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over 47.1 innings during that span. Despite that success, the 34-year-old veteran has pitched six innings or more in just one of his last five outings.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Allows one hit in return
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Kershaw did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing one run on one hit and three walks over five innings against the Mets. He struck out six.
Kershaw did not allow an extra-base hit and surrendered his only blemish by walking in a run in the first. After a shaky initial inning following his return from the 15-day injured list (back), the lefty returned to his usual formidable self, turning in four perfect innings before exiting the game. In the five starts prior to his injury, the 34-year-old veteran delivered a spectacular 29:3 K:BB in 29.1 innings.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Activated for Thursday's start
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The Dodgers reinstated Kershaw (back) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Thursday against the Mets at Citi Field.
Kershaw returns to the Los Angeles rotation after missing just under a month due to lower-back pain. He received an epidural in early August to address the injury and responded well to the injection, as he was cleared to resume a throwing program just under a week later. While Kershaw wasn't sent out on a minor-league rehab assignment prior to being activated, he built up to 70 pitches in a simulated game last weekend. Even so, manager Dave Roberts said he expects Kershaw to be capped at around 4-to-5 innings Thursday, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.
