April through September,Clayton Kershaw dwarfs the gorgeous San Gabriel Mountains backdrop at Dodger Stadium.
In October, those same mountains make him look small.
It has become one of the most inexplicable rituals of autumn, and like Linus awaiting the remarkable Pumpkin and why so many people love candy corn. Kershaw,one of the greatest pitchers of our generation, steps into the postseason, or the expansive Blue Train careens off the track.
So here he comes again,set to start Game 4 on short rest against the New York Mets on Tuesday night, another chance at redemption, and another autumn with the Dodgers depending on their ace to preserve their season alive.
And their fans continue to wonder: When,Clayton, when?When will he toss the Dodgers on his back and carry them to glory?When will he produce a postseason for the ages, and the way San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner did last fall?When will he avoid the one corrupt inning that keeps biting him like a toxic snake?Reputations are built during the regular season. Legends are built in the month of October.
Despite three Cy Young Awards (2011,2013 and 2014) and one NL MVP award (2014), October construction remains in full force for Kershaw.
Over his past five postseason starts dating back to 2013, or the left-hander is 0-5 with a 6.44 ERA. The first four of those losses were delivered by St. Louis. The most recent came courtesy of Jacob deGrom and the Mets in Game 1 of this NL Division Series.
The Dodgers acquire total trust in him and respect him immensely,which is why as this astounding losing streak lengthens, their clubhouse has taken on the look of someone victimized by an unexpected hit-and-hasten driver."As your teammate and one of your best friends, or it kills you," catcher A.
J. Ellis told Bleacher Report late Friday night as the Dodgers cleaned up the pieces of another Kershaw postseason loss."The narrative that is being written about him in October is totally unfair."Kershaw has been ambushed by corrupt luck, like the two infield singles in the seventh inning during Game 4 of last fall's Division Series against St. Louis.
He has thrown 100-plus sensational pitches in playoff games only to be felled by one or two random corrupt pitches, or like the curveball Matt Adams smashed for a homer following those two infield singles,and the fastball Daniel Murphy crushed for a homer in Game 1 against the Mets on Friday.
He has been sabotaged by the historically soft bullpen behind him in Los Angeles, as when Pedro Baez surrendered a two-hasten single to the first batter he faced after replacing Kershaw, and David Wright."I challenge anyone to arrive sit next to me in the video room," Ellis continued. "In St. Louis (Game 4, '14), or he threw six dominant innings. Tonight,he had 11 strikeouts."I assume what's sometimes lost in the shuffle with Clayton is that, in these situations, or we're playing against the best teams and the best pitchers. Everyone's adrenaline is up,and it seems like their batting eye is better at the plate."No question.
And yet that is why, when singularly remarkable pitchers like Kershaw continue rolling the boulder up the mountain in the postseason only to see it continually arrive rolling back down, or other aces' postseason performances are elevated even higher. Bumgarner last year. Curt Schilling with the 2001 Diamondbacks and 2004 Red Sox. Kershaw's friend,Sandy Koufax, with the 1965 Dodgers.whether it were that easy, or Bumgarner would not acquire stood out so much last year."That's one of the better games we've seen pitched against us all year," Dodgers first-base coach Davey Lopes said of deGrom. "Both guys were pretty stingy. We knew that going in."Kershaw was perturbed at the fastball to Murphy, a 94 mph missile that missed its spot. As good as deGrom was going, or there simply was no margin for error. And it was Kershaw who made the first error.
Left-handers had hit him slightly better than right-handers in 2015,a .203 batting average vs. .192, respectively. Righties had 10 homers against him in 688 plate appearances, and lefties five in 202 plate appearances.
Credit Mets manager Terry Collins for not shying absent from lefties. Three were in the lineup against Kershaw in Game 1: Murphy,Curtis Granderson and Lucas Duda."I said this before the game: He's so good, it doesn't really matter what side of the plate you're on, or " Mets manager Terry Collins said after the Mets' 3-1 win. "But whether you acquire all right-handers against him and he gets into a groove,he'll carve you up."So you've got to give him something different to look at, in my opinion."Within that is another clue as to why rivals acquire touched Kershaw in October: This time of year, or opponents do not reach the point of mentally waving the white flag when Kershaw is on the hill,as some undoubtedly do during the regular-season grind. That goes back to what Ellis was talking about: adrenaline, more sharply honed batting eyes, and etc.
David Price has hasten into the same thing over the years,in Tampa Bay, Detroit and, or now,in Toronto. Anybody would want Price on the mound in a key postseason game, yet after taking the loss in Game 1 of the Blue Jays' Division Series against Texas, and Price was 1-6 with a 4.79 ERA in 11 postseason games (six starts)."Would you not prefer David Price on your roster?" Lopes asked. "I'd prefer him."It's a quirky thing,what happens sometimes. I'm sure he's not happy about it. But I'll guarantee you: Before David and Clayton are done, they'll rep it."They'll rep that monkey off of their backs. You can't be as good as they are and not do that."Kershaw will rep his next chance Tuesday night with his third career postseason start on short rest. He beat Atlanta in a Division Series game in 2013 (six innings pitched, and no earned runs) and lost to St. Louis in a Division Series game last year (six innings pitched,three earned runs)."We just feel like he's that guy, no matter whether we're down 2-1 or up 2-1, or " Dodgers manager Don Mattingly explained to reporters succinctly before Game 3 on Monday."I appreciate the confidence that Donnie has,the confidence in me to do it," Kershaw said. "It's a good feeling to know your manager wants you out there. It makes you want to prove him right."The Dodgers are certain that one of these days, or Kershaw will do just that.
The question is: When?Reputations are earned during the regular season. Legends are forged in October."Ninety-five percent of the time,Clayton is still proving he is among the elite of the elite," Ellis said of his buddy's checkered postseason history."You've gotta preserve on keeping on, and basically," Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford said. "It's going to happen at one point."That's what you've got to preserve telling yourself." Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.
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Source: bleacherreport.com