Dave Roberts has hilarious response to Clayton Kershaw’s dugout outburst

Dave Roberts had a little bit of fun with Clayton Kershaw’s dugout episode during Friday’s loss to the San Francisco Giants.

Speaking with reporters on Saturday, the Los Angeles Dodgers manager had a hilarious response to his star lefty kicking a cooler in the dugout after Roberts pulled him from the game in just the fifth inning.

“His foot’s fine,” said Roberts of Kershaw, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. “Cooler is on the IL.”

The former Manager of the Year’s humor about the whole situation is a relief because Kershaw’s kick definitely looked like it might have hurt.

With six full days off before his next scheduled start, the three-time Cy Young winner has plenty of time to recover and to get some tips on his kicking form from this fellow National League team.

Watch: Clayton Kershaw kicks cooler in dugout after being pulled

Clayton Kershaw was pulled early in Friday night’s Los Angeles Dodgers-San Francisco Giants game and was not happy about it.

Kershaw was lifted in the top of the fifth inning after allowing a leadoff single and walking Kevin Pillar on a 3-2 pitch. When he headed into the dugout after being pulled, the Dodgers southpaw kicked a cooler in the dugout.

Clayton Kershaw upset about being removed from game. pic.twitter.com/7mNqMtGY9y

— handlit33 (@handlit33) September 7, 2019

That seriously looked like it could have hurt.

The kick probably wasn’t as painful as what transpired, though. Dylan Floro came in and gave up four runs to blow the tie game (two runs were charged to Kershaw). That was the difference as the Giants won 5-4.

Kershaw has now lost three straight starts for the first time since 2015, according to the team.

Clayton Kershaw defends Yu Darvish ahead of return to Dodger Stadium

Yu Darvish will likely get booed when he makes his return to Los Angeles this weekend, but one ex-teammate does not think he deserves harsh treatment.

Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw spoke Friday on Darvish ahead of the Chicago Cubs righty’s first start at Dodger Stadium since giving up five runs in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series to sink the Dodgers’ championship hopes.

“People forget fast that we’re not in that position without him,” said Kershaw, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “Fans have the right to boo players who don’t perform, there’s no doubt about it. I just think when you’re in here in the clubhouse with the team and you know everything we go through on a day-in, day-out basis and you know Yu performed really well up to that point, pitched two really big games to get into the World Series – against the Diamondbacks and the Cubs.

“We wouldn’t even have been in that position without him,” Kershaw added. “People forget that fast and I understand that. But to us, to me – he was a big contributor to us being there in the first place. That’s kind of how I think about it.”

Darvish, who was acquired by the Dodgers at the 2017 trade deadline, was with them for just a few months before leaving to sign with the Cubs as a free agent. That Game 7 implosion proved to be Darvish’s final game as a Dodger.

Kershaw wasn’t exactly thrilled about Darvish joining an NL rival, but he does not seem to blame the Japanese star for the ghosts of the 2017 World Series.

10 MLB players on track to reach the Hall of Fame

Though their careers aren’t yet over, there are a number of MLB players who have likely already done enough to punch their ticket to the Hall of Fame after they quit playing. There are other young players who have started promisingly, but a handful of veterans have really stood out and put together resumes that will be hard to deny when their names come up on the Hall of Fame ballot after their retirement. Some are still producing at a high level, while some are not, but all of them should be treasured as long as they are still entertaining us with their talents.

Here are ten active MLB players who warrant strong Hall of Fame consideration — if they haven’t all but clinched it already.

10. CC Sabathia, SP, Yankees

Sabathia has a clear Hall of Fame case, but it’s a somewhat murky one. His peak was certainly good enough, but his 3.69 career ERA is somewhat high for a Hall of Famer. And, despite some memorable postseason exploits, he doesn’t have the playoff resume to stand out, either, and only won the Cy Young once. Still, it’s easy to see how Sabathia gets in. His longevity and consistency ensure he should get to 250 wins, and he’s already surpassed 3,000 strikeouts. Plus, his history of clutch pitching — including his stretch run with Milwaukee — could play on voters’ minds.

(more…)

Watch: Clayton Kershaw barks at Dansby Swanson for being slow getting into box

Clayton Kershaw is one of the few dominant pitchers in baseball who like to work very quickly, and Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson appeared to be doing his best to disrupt that on Wednesday night. Needless to say, Kershaw did not appreciate it.

With the Braves trailing 5-2 in the top of the sixth, Swanson stepped out of the box during his at-bat against Kershaw and took quite a while to step back in. That led to an obviously frustrated Kershaw walking off the mound before telling Swanson “let’s go.”

Clayton Kershaw Really Hates Dansby Swanson taking forever to get in the box. 😡

"Let's F'n Go." pic.twitter.com/F0Amp4ZHx2

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 9, 2019

The time Swanson took to collect himself didn’t work, as he struck out on a nasty curveball from Kershaw one pitch later.

Kershaw's next pitch to Swanson (so you know how it ended). pic.twitter.com/6tE1EbiU1m

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 9, 2019

Major League Baseball is still exploring the idea of implementing a pitch clock in an attempt to shorten the length of games, and the exchange between Kershaw and Swanson was a reminder that the same type of clock might be needed for the hitter. We’ve already seen some rule changes to speed up play that aren’t that popular among players, but all ideas to shorten games should be on the table.

Clayton Kershaw has funny reason for Dodgers showing up early to ballpark

Los Angeles Dodgers players have fallen into a nice habit this season of showing up to the ballpark plenty early on game day, and Clayton Kershaw has an entertaining theory about why that has been the case.

Kershaw told reporters on Tuesday that the 2019 Dodgers, as a whole, arrive earlier to the ballpark than any team he has been a part of. When asked if that proves they are determined to win a championship and are working harder than ever, Kershaw said he thinks it’s just because most of them want free food.

Clayton Kershaw said the 2019 Dodgers, as a group, arrive earlier to the ballpark than any other team he has played on.

Motivated to win?

Determined to study their opponents?

Desperate to end the drought?

Nope.

"A lot of young guys," he said, "who want lunch."

— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) May 8, 2019

Even if some guys are just looking for a free lunch, showing up early is always a good thing. It’s also worth noting that Yasiel Puig now plays for a different team, and we all know how much trouble he had getting to Dodger Stadium on time. That probably brought the average time of arrival a bit earlier for the team as a whole.

Clayton Kershaw to make another rehab start

Clayton Kershaw will make another rehab start before being cleared to return to the big club.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Saturday that Kershaw would make another rehab start but they are not sure yet whether it will be in Oklahoma City (Triple-A) or Tulsa (Double-A).

Dave Roberts said Clayton Kershaw will definitely make another rehab start. They haven’t decided if it’ll be for OKC or Tulsa. OKC will be on the road in Omaha. Tulsa will be home.

— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) April 6, 2019

Kershaw battled shoulder injuries in spring training, which led him to miss Opening Day and begin the season rehabbing. He made his first rehab start on Thursday in Oklahoma City and threw in the upper-80s and hit 90 mph. The southpaw seems on schedule to return to the Dodgers this month.