Dodgers: Has Clayton Kershaw been usurped as the Dodgers’ ace?

Do the Dodgers have an ace? I think so. It would be tough for a team to win 60 games before the All-Star break without an ace. But who is it?

Clayton Kershaw broke into the league with the Dodgers way back in 2008. In that time, he’s been one of the best pitchers in the game, if not of all time, with a peak likened to that of Hall of Fame Dodger lefty Sandy Koufax.

But in what is his age 31 season, the big Texan lefty has lost plenty of velocity off his fastball and consequently plenty of strikeouts off his peak numbers. His ERA ballooned above 3.00 for the first time since his rookie season.  Clayton dropped his ERA below three in last night’s start.

And most notably, Kershaw has had fewer dominant starts.

The 6’4 hurler has allowed 4 earned runs in a start 3 times this season, and 3+ earned runs in 7 of his 15 starts. To put that in context, Nationals ace Max Scherzer, the epitome of an ace in today’s game, has allowed 3+ earned runs in just 5 of his 19 starts this season.

I think it’s safe to say, as sad as it makes me say it, that the era of Kershaw has ended this season. He is no longer the best pitcher in the game and really doesn’t seem to be in the discussion anymore. Of course, he’s still an All-Star and is amongst the top starting pitchers, but thanks to age, injuries, and some blooming ineffectiveness, Kershaw is no longer the ace to build a team around.

So do the Dodgers have one? I think so. It would be tough for a team to win 60 games before the All-Star break without an ace. But who is it?

That’s what I’ll dive into in this piece. I want to compare the National League All-Star starter Hyun-Jin Ryu and the upstart in his sophomore season Walker Buehler, not just by the numbers, but by their mound presence and how they compare to past iterations of Kershaw and other accepted aces around the league.