Kershaw Inspires Greatness Around Him

Remember that old cliché that offenses don’t need to try as hard when their ace is on the mound?  I seem to recall this being spouted a lot when Roger Clemens pitched.  The theory was that somehow his teammates, professional baseball players, were so in awe of his awesomeness that they just coasted on the idea that they’d win 1-0.  This, of course, is completely absurd.  But let’s pretend that this phenomenon is true for a second, because if it were then Clayton Kershaw is single-handedly destroying that myth.  The Dodgers have scored him 4.28 runs per game in 2011.  The National League average is 4.15 runs per game this season.  This means that somehow the Dodgers actually become a better than average offense when Kershaw is on the mound.  

                Meanwhile, the Dodgers have managed just 2.93 runs per game for hard luck Hiroki Kuroda, and their overall season average is just 3.63, better than only the Giants in the senior circuit.  What does all this mean?  Well, nothing really.  But interesting facts nonetheless.  If anything it just increases our desire to see Clayton Kershaw cloned nine or ten times. 

                Oh, and Kershaw pitched today.  He went 8 innings, allowed zero runs, struck out 6 and walked none.  And the Dodgers scored 5 runs in their 5-1 victory over the Brewers, after only scoring two runs in the previous three games combined.   Barajas contributed a solo homerun, Carroll, Miles and Rivera all contributed RBI hits, and Kemp (despite striking out three times) added to his (longshot) MVP credentials by singling, stealing second (his 33^rd) and scoring a run. 

                The real story though is Kershaw.  We all had high hopes for him as soon as he was drafted.  He hasn’t disappointed in the slightest, and seems to get better with every start he makes.  His one Achilles Heel was his high walk rate, and he’s cut that down drastically (2.4 walks per 9). 

                Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts breaks down his chances at the Cy Young Award this season.  As Jon says, Halladay is probably the favorite, but the award is hardly out of reach for Clayton.  And if not this year, I think it’s fairly safe to say he should be in the running for years to come. 

Things We Learned from Today's Game (8/7/11)

Overview:  Ransom costs Dodgers/Kershaw win.  Diamondbacks 4 Dodgers 3

Pros:  Clayton Kershaw's overall numbers might not look all that great, pitching 6 and 1/3 innings and surrendering four runs while walking three.  This only tells half the story though.  Kershaw struggled out of the gate, walking Ryan Roberts on four pitches then giving up a two run blast to Kelly Johnson on a 3-2 pitch.  Kershaw would go on to walk another in the first, throwing 31 pitches in the inning.  After that, though, he cruised for the next five innings, allowing only two hits.  He looked virtually unbeatable until the seventh when he gave up another two run homer to Cody Ransom, of all people.  Those four runs he gave up were insurmountable for the Dodgers, but Kershaw, for the most part, pitched much better than his line suggests.  He did strike out 7, raising his season total to 184 in 167 and 2/3 innings, and continues to lead the league in that category. 
Other positives that came from today was James Loney homering in the fifth (fun note: I was complaining during his at-bat that he never turned on balls anymore and always seems to pop the ball up to the left side, then immediately after he drove the ball over the right field fence).
Lindblom also looked good, pitching a scoreless inning and 2/3 to finish the game and lower his season ERA to 1.80.
Finally, Aaron Miles scoring from first on a double by Ethier was one of the funniest images I've seen in a long time.  He is a small, hobbit-like man.  

Cons:  As mentioned earlier, Kershaw gave up a homerun to Cody Ransom.  And it was no cheap shot either.  It was gone the second it touched his bat.  Ransom hadn't hit a homerun all year, and in parts of 9seasons in the majors, he has hit a total of 9.  So, of course he hit a homerun against the Dodgers best pitcher.  Why wouldn't he?
Meanwhile, Navarro went hitless, dropping his season average back below .200, while Eugenio Velez, who is not very good, continues to look for his first hit of the season.   Look, I know Gordon is hurting, Furcal's been traded and their aren't a lot of great middle infield options for the Dodgers right now, but can't Ivan DeJesus Jr or Justin Sellers at least get a look?  At least there's some upside in those two.  Eugenio Velez, who is not very good, has zero upside and contributes nothing to this team  now, or the future.  Did I mention he's not very good?  I do hear he's fast, but I have trouble verifying that because I've never seen him on the basepaths before. 
It's not often that we mention negatives about Matt Kemp (much less about Kershaw and Kemp) but I'm not sure what he could've been thinking trying to bunt for a hit.  A guy having an MVP caliber season like he is should pretty much under no circumstances be laying down a bunt.  Even if he had beat it out, it would've been a bad idea.  The Dodgers need his power more than his ability to show off his awesome bunting ability.  By the way, that was sarcasm, because it was a horrible bunt.  We love you, Matt.  We just disagree with this particular decision of yours.  (We don't want to anger him too much, because we'd really like him to sign with the Dodgers long term).

What we learned:  That trotting out an infield of Aaron Miles, Jamey Carroll (nothing against him, he's been very good for this team for two years now, but he still should be a utility player on a better team), Eugenio Velez and James Loney (yes, I remember he homered today, but remember it's just  his fifth of the season), with Dioner Navarro catching, is not going to win many games.  I know some of us were getting excited about the Dodgers playing well of late, but a team that trots those guys out on a regular basis is not a playoff team.  We here at Proven Veteran Leaders don't want to be complete downers, we're just frightened of Ned Colletti getting excited about the "playoff hunt" and trading prospects not on the 40 man roster for, well, Proven Veteran Leaders.  

Things we learned from last night's game (8/1)

 Overview: Kershaw goes distance, Dodgers actually score runs.  Dodgers 6 Padres 2

 Pros:  Clayton Kershaw. Probably nothing more needs to be said than just his name anymore, but I'm going to try anyway.  Kershaw pitched another complete game, striking out 4 (a low number for him), walking 2 and surrendering 6 hits.  What does that mean?  This was Kershaw on an off-day, without his best stuff.  Then there's this quote from Kershaw after the game when somebody mentioned he was pitching to contact.  "I hate the term pitch to contact," he said. "I'm not trying to let them hit it."  I seriously love this guy.  Instead of spouting off some useless cliche that we hear all the time like "I just have to grind it out" or some shit like that, he gives a real answer.  I've always hated the term pitch to contact too, Clayton.  The win gives him 13 on the season.  Not that the wins stat mean anything for a pitcher, but I have to admit I'm rooting pretty damn hard for him to reach 20.  If for nothing else, it's something to cheer for this season.  Can you imagine if Kershaw manages to win 20 games and Kemp manages to lead the league in RBI's this season?  Again, those stats are useless in trying to evaluate a player because they're so team dependent, but I think in this case it speaks to just how good these guys are that they can put up these numbers on a team so bad.
Speaking of Kemp, he went 2 for 4 with a double, a triple, an RBI and 2 runs scored.  He also probably would've stolen third if Rod Barajas hadn't selfishly singled him home.
Finally, Carroll went 2 for 3 with a walk, a run scored, and 2 stolen bases.  I mention this mostly because I started him in my fantasy line up and now look like a genius.

Cons:  The biggest con from yesterday is not from the game itself, but the news that Rubby De La Rosa is hurt and might require Tommy John Surgery.  Richard covered that news in an earlier post.  Check it out here.
Other than that, I don't really have anything negative to say about last night.  It was a good win all around.  Even James Loney, who went 0 for 3, proved once and for all that he's a "run producer" with a sacrifice fly.

What we learned:  How fragile young pitching can be.  We wish De La Rosa the best in his recovery, and pray to any God that will listen that Kershaw doesn't go down with some kind of arm injury.  Because that just might kill us.  Literally.

Things we learned from last night's game (7/26/11)

Two of the three reasons the Dodgers are almost in third place.

Overview: If you have a K starting either your first or last name, you should be playing for the Dodgers.  Dodgers beat the Rockies, 3-2.  

Pros: Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, and Kenley Jansen. Is there any question that without Kemp & Kershaw, the Dodgers would be dead last?  One of the biggest disappointments of this season, in my opinion, is that because of the off-field circus and the on-field mediocrity of the team, the main stream media is overlooking the MVP/Cy Young seasons these two are putting together.  For them to put up the numbers they've got, surrounded by no offense and pretty shoddy defense, is nothing short of amazing.  They make the Dodgers competitive every time they're on the field.  And you can add Kenley Jansen to that rare list of valuable 2011 Dodgers- he just embarrassed Chris Iannetta, Seth Smith and Dexter Fowler in the ninth, racking up a pop up and two strikeouts in SEVEN PITCHES.  That boy's good!

Cons: Andre Ethier and Jamey Carroll were the only other hitters to reach base more than once.  Furcal went 0 for 3, and only reached because Ty Wigginton was playing left field and isn't quite sure what to do when a baseball is hit towards him.  Juan Rivera is turning back into a pumpkin.  Our most reliable number 5 hitter continues to be Aaron Miles.  

What we learned: Make no mistake- while the Dodgers won this game, it wasn't because they were better- they just happened to be lucky.  No one should be looking at this current four game winning streak thinking we have any chance at better than third in the division this season.  We're not trying to be negative here, just realistic about the fact that the best long-term course of action for this team is to sell off whoever we can and acquire some prospects.  

Things we learned from Yesterday's Game (7/20)

Clayton Kershaw can't believe Dioner Navarro just hit a homerun either.

Overview:  Clayton Kershaw is good at throwing baseballs.  Dodgers 1, Giants 0.

Pros:  Aside from Kershaw's continued dominance over the Giants?  Well, not much.  Dioner Navarro hit a homerun in the seventh to break a scoreless tie and Javy Guerra picked up his 6th save of the season in a perfect ninth.  But Kershaw was definitely the star of this show, pitching 8 scoreless innings, striking out 12 while walking just one.  We seem to remember the old days when people said as soon as Kershaw figured out his control issues he'd be one of the best in the game.  Well, with a 4.29 SO/BB ratio, we think it's safe to say that time is now.  Kershaw is, quite simply, among the elite in baseball right now.


Cons:  Again, the offense didn't show up, but that's nothing really new anymore.  Navarro, despite his homerun, made two errors behind the plate, once again questioning his ability to defend adequately.  Juan Uribe went 0-4, with a couple of strikeouts, but that's hardly worth reporting anymore.


What we learned:  That the only time my friend, who happens to be a Giants fan, doesn't talk shit to me during a Dodgers-Giants series, is when Kershaw pitches.  He respectfully keeps his mouth shut, because he knows that's the one game the Giants are likely to lose.

Things we learned from last night's game (7/15/11)

Dioner Navarro reminds Don Mattingly about the pictures he has from their lost weekend in Tijuana.
Photo Credit: Jon Soo Hoo

Overview: Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw are good at the baseball. Juan Uribe is not. Welcome to LA, Juan Rivera!

Pros: Kemp and Kershaw come out of the All-Star break swinging, both literally and figuratively. Kemp's 2 run home run was crushed, and he just missed another in his first at bat, sending one all the way to the center field wall. Kershaw's line was somewhat marred by Juan Uribe's 7th inning error (more on that in a minute), but all 4 runs were unearned and he tacked 8 more strikeouts onto his league leading total. Those kids in Africa are going to get the greatest orphanage EVER.  Juan Rivera also had a great start to his Dodgers career, golfing a solo home run into the left field bleachers on the first pitch he saw, and later adding an RBI single before being pulled for defensive replacement Tony Gwynn Jr.- a nice move from Mattingly, who has been making more good moves than bad as of late.  Even Dioner Navarro counts as a plus this game, contributing 2 hits to raise his average to a robust .195.

Cons: Juan Uribe.

What we learned:  Not much, all things considered.  The two best players on the team dominated the opposition, and the rest of the team performed well enough to win.  We learned that Mattingly, at least in the early going, isn't afraid to pull new acquisition Juan Rivera when the match up isn't in his favor.  Unfortunately, we also learned that he thinks batting Juan Uribe second might help "jump start" his bat, which 1) isn't working and 2) hurts the 3-4-5 hitters' chances to produce runs by not having anyone on base to drive in.

Danny was lucky enough to go to the game (the only good thing to come out of living in Phoenix, from my estimation), so he'll post some pictures from last night sometime soon.  In the meantime, we'll all prepare to see Hiroki Kuroda continue to audition for opposing team's scouts starting at 5:10 tonight.