The Los Angeles Dodgers held on for a 5-3 win over the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the National League Division Series and now look to take a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-five matchup.
Clayton Kershaw gets the ball in Game 2 following a stellar regular season in which he compiled a 12-3 record, 2.28 ERA, 2.57 FIP and a 0.94 WHIP across 126.1 innings pitched (22 starts).
Wednesday night marks Kershaw’s 31st career postseason start (38th game overall) and the 10th playoffs he’s been part of in a 15-year career with the Dodgers. The left-hander is 13-12 with a 4.19 ERA and 1.07 WHP in those games.
Kershaw admitted the latest opportunity to play in October carries slightly more significance this year due to not being able to participate last season because of a left elbow/forearm injury.
“I cherish winning, so I hope we win,” Kershaw said before Game 1. “More than anything, being with this organization is obviously special.
“To get to be in the postseason for a lot of years, one of the main reasons I wanted to come back was to get this opportunity. So it’s exciting.”
Kershaw has fared well against the Padres in his career, going 23-9 with a 2.03 ERA and 0.96 WHIP across 45 starts. He allowed just one run in 12 innings against them during the regular season.
San Diego counters with Yu Darvish, who looks to build off an excellent outing against the New York Mets in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. The right-hander gave up just one run on six hits and collected four strikeouts over seven innings pitched.
Darvish went 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA, 3.31 FIP and 0.95 WHIP in 194.2 innings pitched during the regular season (30 starts). The 36-year-old is 3-5 with a 2.47 ERA and 0.87 WHIP in 10 career starts against his former team.
Darvish faces a Dodgers lineup that is unchanged from Game 1. Manager Dave Roberts expects Darvish to throw a bevy of breaking balls, which the Dodgers have struggled with.
“It’s going to happen a lot,” Roberts said. “Yu has had a lot of success against us. It’s some fastballs, a lot of cutters, it’s a slider, it’s a split. A curveball once in a while. There’s certainly going to be a lot of spin. It’s just kind of hunting mistakes and see who executes and who doesn’t.
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
SS: Trea Turner
1B: Freddie Freeman
C: Will Smith
3B: Max Muncy
DH: Justin Turner
2B: Gavin Lux
LF: Trayce Thompson
CF: Cody Bellinger
Padres lineup
SS: Ha-Seong Kim
RF: Juan Soto
3B: Manny Machado
DH: Brandon Drury
2B: Jake Cronenworth
1B: Wil Myers
LF: Jurickson Profar
CF: Trent Grisham
C: Austin Nola
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
