Dodgers: Three key stars lackluster in NLDS defeat

Oh, Clayton… 

Should I have seen this one coming? I sort of did after Game Two. Should Roberts have seen this one coming? Did his decision to bring in Kershaw have anything to do with helping his ace dispel the narrative surrounding his postseason past?

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Probably not. But bringing in his best pitcher to act as a firefighter was certainly gutsy. It paid off, too. But then again, it meant he had to come back into the game to face Rendon and Soto. After beating Rendon down it seemed, the ball continued to carry over the left-field wall, traveling only 381 feet to bring the game within one. Then he floated a spinning slider inside on Soto, who already was fired up after beating Walker Buehler inside earlier in the game to make the score 3-1. The game was tied after just two swings from the middle of the order.

The cameras stayed trained on Kershaw long after his departure. He looked defeated, embalmed within what may be the worst of his terrible postseason outings. Then Kenta Maeda came in and locked down the tie, before being lifted after one inning to bring in Joe Kelly (though I won’t get into the backwards logic of that decision here).

Kershaw really needed to come into this game. Roberts had to use his best arm to get out the best hitters on the other side, that’s just how it was going to have to be. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the bats, which belong to players on the upswings of their careers, won the day and the night.

It’s hard to be mad at Kershaw after all he’s done for the team and the city and the franchise in general. He didn’t waste his prime on worse teams than those of the past three seasons, the old and new front offices did.

Now that he’s blown another postseason appearance though, it may be time to fully consider putting Kershaw in the fallen star category. Buehler is clearly the ace, with Kershaw as the big name and big pit of knowledge. He’ll need to act as the veteran leader and help swap adversity for a World Series berth in 2020.