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Monday, June 24, 2019

Articles tagged: Clayton Kershaw

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Clayton Kershaw defends Yu Darvish ahead of return to Dodger Stadium

June 14, 2019
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Clayton Kershaw

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

May 23, 2019
by

Clayton Kershaw

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.

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

May 9, 2019
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Clayton Kershaw

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.”

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

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

May 8, 2019
by

Clayton Kershaw

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.

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

April 6, 2019
by

Clayton Kershaw

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).

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.

Dodgers manager provides update on Clayton Kershaw’s progress

April 5, 2019
by

Clayton Kershaw

The Los Angeles Dodgers still have not set a target date for when Clayton Kershaw will return to the starting rotation, but it sounds like the left-hander continues to trend in the right direction.

Kershaw made a rehab start at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday night, and the velocity on his fastball hovered around 90 mph. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described that on Friday as a “tick up” from where Kershaw was in his bullpen sessions during spring training.

Kershaw might make another rehab start, but it sounds like he is not all that far from returning to the major league club.

The Dodgers are obviously playing things safe with their ace, as all of the recent updates we have heard about him lately have been positive. It would be a surprise if he was not back in LA by the end of the month.

Clayton Kershaw makes first rehab start

April 4, 2019
by

Clayton Kershaw

Clayton Kershaw made his first rehab start as he works to rejoin the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting rotation.

Kershaw is currently on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his left shoulder. On Thursday, he took the next step in his rehab process with a start at Triple-A in which he pitched into the fifth inning.

Kershaw’s velocity was reported to be consistently in the upper 80s during his outing.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated earlier this week Kershaw would likely make two rehab start before returning to Los Angeles.

In 26 starts last season, Kershaw went 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 161.1 innings. Prior to this season, Kershaw had made eight consecutive Opening Day starts for the Dodgers.