The Los Angeles Dodgers surprisingly passed up three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw in favor of youngster Walker Buehler for Game 1 of the National League Divisional Series against the Washington Nationals Thursday evening.
However, Kershaw will get the start in Los Angeles for Game 2 on Friday. He’ll be followed in line by Cy Young candidate Hyun-Jin Ryu for Game 3 in the nation’s capital.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been very quiet when it comes to rolling out his rotation to start the playoffs. This news comes mere hours before first pitch in Southern California Thursday evening.
He really can’t go wrong here. It’s all about matchups and splits. Ryu pitched to a 2.72 ERA and 1.08 WHIP on the road during the regular season.
Kershaw’s splits stood at 3.21/0.96 away from Dodger Stadium. Again, Roberts could not have gone wrong with his decision-making process.