The Los Angeles Dodgers began their World Series title defense without Clayton Kershaw on their roster for the Wild Card Series, but with a plan to add him if they got past the Cincinnati Reds.
That came to fruition as the Dodgers swept the Reds, and added Anthony Banda and Clayton Kershaw onto the playoff roster for a highly-anticipated matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies. Kershaw, like Emmet Sheehan and Roki Sasaki, has shifted into a bullpen role for the postseason.
His only appearance thus far came in Game 3, when he five runs (four earned) over two innings as the Phillies pulled away late for their only win in the NLDS. Kershaw’s appearance included surrendering home runs to J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber.
It was a second homer of the night for Schwarber, and came in his second at-bat against Kershaw. He surmised the first at-bat potentially helped in hitting the homer — a wall scraper that paled in comparison to hitting one out of Dodger Stadium — but was also sure to celebrate Kershaw.
“I mean, I’ve faced Kersh for years now. He’s undoubtably, probably the top, I don’t know how many, starting pitchers in baseball. This guy’s going to be in the Hall of Fame. I have a lot of respect for Clayton and for how he goes about his business, and I know that he’s going to be leaving baseball after this year,” Schwarber said.
“So just from all of us and the opposing side, we all have a ton of respect for him, obviously, first off. But, yeah, I mean, having those at-bats and seeing him, it’s always nice to have a recent familiarity, I guess, of seeing pitches.
“So I think I didn’t see a fastball there the first at-bat. I think it was mostly all sliders and a curveball. And he does kind of miss with the fastball middle in, and I was able to get it and snuck it just out enough. But like I said, he’s always a unique guy with unique pitches.
“And so anytime you get to see him back-to-back times, I think that can be beneficial.”
Dodgers pushed Clayton Kershaw
Kershaw wasn’t sharp out of the bullpen but seemingly was left in the game to help the Dodgers get through innings without using their high-leverage options while trailing.
It made for an unceremonious situation, but later revealed to be one out of necessity. Manager Dave Roberts revealed after the loss that Tanner Scott was not with the team due to personal reasons.
Then prior to Game 4, Scott was replaced on the Dodgers’ roster by Justin Wrobleski due to undergoing an abscess excision in his lower body. It’s presumed if Scott was with the Dodgers during their Game 3 loss, that he may have taken over for Kershaw at some point.
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