Dodgers: Five Positive Takeaways from the First Two Weeks of the Season

Clayton Kershaw

Let’s start with the obvious and be gracious that the best pitcher on the planet is still on our roster and is healthy. Kershaw has been his usual self in his first four starts, pitching 28 ⅓ innings and is rocking a 10.16 K/9 ratio. Kershaw is 3-1 with a 2.54 ERA on the young season and has continued to demonstrate why he is in a class of his own.

Kershaw got roughed up in his lone road outing in Colorado when the Rockies took him deep three times in that game. That was the first time in Kershaw’s career that he has allowed back to back home runs.

But Kershaw rebounded as you would expect by throwing 8 innings of 1-hit ball against the Diamondbacks in his next start. He ended up allowing 1 run on four hits as he was attempting for the complete game shutout.

In his start to the 2017 season, Clayton Kershaw has tied his own record of 11 unbeaten starts at home. Carrying over from last season, Kershaw is 10-0 with a 0.65 ERA in his last 11 home starts. I know, incredible, right? What’s even more amazing is his 96 strikeouts to 6 walks during that span. That translated to a 16:1 strikeout to walk ratio.

The team is 5-7 when a pitcher not named Kershaw starts for the Dodgers, so it’s evident the team is going to rely on his arm heavily. Year after year the team is only as good as Kershaw’s left arm allows them to be. This year is off to a good start.

Kershaw’s next start is scheduled to be on the road against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, 4/25. His counterpart? Madison Bumgarner.