2023 Season

Nor should you.  This was the absolute worst he's ever pitched, with a used up arm.  So many hitters, he got ahead on, 0-2 on a few but couldn't put any of them away.  The one out he got was hard hit.  35 pitches, one out, 6 ER.  He might well be done.  So sad his great career ends this way.  

If LA goes out in this first round, I’d bet good money Kershaw will be back next year.

No way would he want his legacy and final game be the stinker he threw tonight.

GO DODGERS!!!

Will they be able to climb off the mat?

Dodgers expect Clayton Kershaw to pitch again vs. D-backs despite 'embarrassing' start in NLDS Game 1

Kershaw allowed six runs while only recording one out in his worst ever playoff start

By Matt Snyder
1 hr ago
•
2 min read

Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw endured the worst start of his postseason career in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Dodgers (ARI 11, LAD 2). His outing Saturday night went off the rails immediately.

"Disappointing. Embarrassing. There's no excuses," Kershaw about his ugly Game 1 start. "I let everybody down."

Arizona leadoff man Ketel Marte sent a line drive to center that should have been caught by James Outman, but it fell out of his glove. Even if you wanted to argue Kershaw deserved this to go down as an error instead of the hit it was ruled, Marte hit the ball 115.7 miles per hour. For those unfamiliar with exit velocity, 95-plus is considered a hard hit ball. This thing was scorched.

Corbin Carroll followed with an RBI single. Tommy Pham singled. Christian Walker doubled home Carroll. And then Gabriel Moreno hit the Big Blow of the inning:

"The velocity was up. I thought the stuff was good," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said about Kershaw after the game, adding the left-hander is healthy. "He's going to pitch Game 4."

Moreno's three-run blast gave the D-Backs a 5-0 lead before the Dodgers even batted. The Snakes weren't done, though. After Kershaw finally recorded his first out, Alek Thomas drew a walk and then Evan Longoria hammered a ball in the left-center gap to score Thomas.

It was 6-0 D-Backs and the end of the night for Kershaw.

"He just made mistakes and they capitalized on them," catcher Will Smith said about Kershaw's outing.

This was the worst playoff outing of Kershaw's Hall of Fame career. Let's break it down:

The 1/3 of an inning marks the shortest start by a significant margin. His previous shortest start in the playoffs was in Game 1 of the 2018 NLCS, when he lasted just three innings against the Brewers.
His high in runs allowed is eight, but that happened in 6 2/3 innings (2014 NLDS Game 1). He also allowed seven runs in four innings in NLCS Game 6 in 2013.
Giving up six earned runs while recording just one out works out to a 162.00 ERA, for anyone curious.
Kershaw hadn't even given up more than four runs in any start this season before Game 1.
The most runs ever allowed in just 1/3 of an inning in a playoff start is seven, so he came just short of arguably the worst playoff outing ever.
There's long been a narrative surrounding Kershaw that he couldn't pitch well in the playoffs or shrunk from the biggest moments or something in that ballpark. He has actually had a good number of stellar playoff outings, but there's a reason the bad ones stick out in the minds of so many people. He has a 2.48 ERA in his career in the regular season.

In the playoffs? He's pitched in 194 1/3 innings and has a 4.49 ERA. When the ERA jumps nearly two runs and it isn't a small sample, there's simply no arguing that something has been different.

You'd want him in to secure the win? I dunno. 

Dayam! This pitch was freaking fat.

Any MLB player could (would) have hit that out. Hell I would have gave it a ride, lol...

Dodgers' Chris Taylor: Back in action for NLDS
Rotowire 2 HRS AGO
Taylor (knee) appeared off the bench in Saturday's 11-2 loss to Arizona in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, going 0-for-2 while playing two innings in left field.

Taylor exited the Dodgers' regular-season finale against the Giants on Oct. 1 with a left knee contusion, but he had sufficient time to heal up from the injury while Los Angeles was on bye for the wild-card round. The 33-year-old will likely fill a utility role throughout the Dodgers' postseason run, with most of his playing time expected to come against left-handed pitching.

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: In line for potential Game 4
Rotowire 4 HRS AGO
Kershaw is in line to start a potential Game 4 of the NLDS against the Diamondbacks, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Kershaw was torched for six runs while recording just one out in the Dodgers' Game 1 loss. The lefty's velocity and stuff was noticeably down in the outing, although manager Dave Roberts insisted afterward that the shoulder issue Kershaw has battled wasn't a problem. Kershaw would be starting on four days' rest in Game 4, something he hasn't done since May 21. He did throw only 35 pitches in Game 1, though. Kershaw posted a 2.23 ERA over his final eight regular season starts after returning from the injured list, although that came with a 32:16 K:BB over 36.1 innings and he didn't go more than 5.1 frames in any outing.