The Dodgers beat the Giants 2-1 in the opener of a three-game series Friday night. Clayton Kershaw went eight innings of three-hit ball, walking one and striking out nine for the win. Tim Lincecum matched him by allowing just one run over eight innings, but the Dodgers scored in the 9th with Kershaw as the pitcher of record. Lincecum took a no-decision.
Timmy is putting in another fantastic season for the Giants. He’s gone 12-12 with a 2.68 ERA and 206 strikeouts. Kershaw is 18-5 with 2.36 ERA and an NL-best 231 strikeouts. The Giants pitcher, who has won two Cy Young Awards, said after Friday’s game he knows who should win the award this year.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, Lincecum said Kershaw would be his choice. “The young lefty just keeps getting better and better. He has incredible stuff, and every season, he’s learning more about how to compete with it,” Andrew Baggarly wrote.
“He doesn’t give in,” Lincecum said. “You can see his confidence when he’s pitching. He knows he’s good. The most important thing as a pitcher is to know you’ll get the job done. You can see it with him. He’s done it all year.”
I wrote last month that the Dodgers could have a Cy Young winner and MVP on a last-place team. The team has shaped up and is now close to .500. Meanwhile, Kershaw has gotten even better lately. Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay will provide competition for the award, but the way Kershaw’s pitching, he is the front-runner for the award. If even the rival Lincecum is saying it, it must be true.
