Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw Has Been Dominant Despite a Rise in ERA

The Dodgers’ pitching staff has been on a rollercoaster of a ride this season. From injuries in the starting rotation to scandals, the one constant has been Clayton Kershaw’s reliability.

In seven starts for the Dodgers, Kershaw is 4-0 with an ERA of 3.33. This is high by Kershaw’s standards, but for a lot of pitchers across the game, it would be a career-best.  Kershaw’s standards are amongst the highest in the game.

Although his velocity hovers around 90 mph these days, his strikeout numbers are still high. He currently has 44 strikeouts and is averaging 8.6 throughout nine innings, his same average from last year.

Along with his high strikeout numbers, he has been able to keep his walks down. He has 8 walks in his seven starts and is only averaging 1.6 per nine innings, lower than his career average of 2.3.

Aside from having great numbers, Kershaw is pitching deep into games, which has been his biggest strength this season. He’s thrown at least six innings in all seven of his starts this year, often leaving the bullpen with limited work.

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Kershaw’s pitching has been key to the Dodgers’ success dating back to last season. LA is currently riding a 19-game winning streak in games started by Kershaw, the highest in the majors. Over his last 19 starts, Kershaw is 10-0 with nine no-decisions.

In previous years, the Dodgers have relied heavily on Kershaw to be great, with not much depth backing him up in the starting rotation. This year, the team doesn’t need that from Kershaw, and they may be helping his confidence when he takes the mound.

Hyun-Jin Ryu has been arguably the best pitcher in the National League this season, and Rich Hill and Walker Buehler have shown they both can be both consistent and great as well. With three other starters capable of being aces, Kershaw’s workload and responsibility are the lowest it has been since his rookie season.

Though there’s no question Kershaw isn’t the Kershaw of old (or young) he’s been able to change his arsenal and work around his decreasing velocity to still be one of baseball’s most effective pitchers still.