The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 15-3 in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday evening. They will now turn to Lefty Clayton Kershaw as they try again in the Game 4 series on Thursday.
Kershaw, who was scratched from the start of his Game 2 due to back spam, was previously described by manager Dave Roberts as the “probability” of starting Game 4 by manager Dave Roberts, According to Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. After Game 3, however, Roberts confirmed that Kershaw would actually start Game 4.
10 At the start of the regular season, the three-time Sight Young winner posted a 2.16 ERA and averaged six innings per game. He also recorded 75. strike75 strikeouts for every walk he issued. Even beyond Kershaw’s expected output level, Dodgers would have had a logistical headache if he had been found unfit for action.
Probably. The Dodgers would have played an improved bullpen game in place of Kersh, the colored Dustin May probably agreed. The problem there is that May threw 21 pitches in Monday’s game 1, and that order would probably have been limited to one time. The Dodgers, obviously, would have been without Alex Wood, who threw 40 pitches in Game 2, for example, they would have had to combine a sequence of short relief releases, which may not be a problem in a normal year, but it could prove to be off. Expensive with no day off offer range.
No worries now, though, as Kersha will try to take the mound to a 2-2 lead in the series.
