Clayton Kershaw may be past his prime, but he has been able to remain an elite starting pitcher as he progresses into his 30s. The Los Angeles Dodgers ace has a chance to reach a big milestone Wednesday against the Miami Marlins, led by Kershaw’s former manager Don Mattingly.
If Kershaw earns a win, it will mark his ninth time in the past 10 seasons with 12 wins or more, dating back to his second full year in the Major Leagues. Furthermore, a win will also pull Kershaw even with Sandy Koufax at 165 in his career.
Kershaw currently holds an 11-2 record with a 2.77 ERA in 2019. If not for a bullpen implosion the last time Kershaw faced the Marlins, he may already have his 12th win of the season. Kershaw threw six shutout innings against Miami at Dodger Stadium on July 20, only to watch the bullpen cough up a six-run lead.
The Dodgers eventually won, 10-6, but Kershaw was understandably frustrated at how things went after he left the game.
Mattingly, helped in large part by Kershaw’s excellence at his peak, helmed the Dodgers to three straight National League West titles from 2013-15. However, he left for the Marlins after a 2015 National League Division Series loss to the New York Mets.
The Dodgers have reached new heights under Dave Roberts, Friedman’s handpicked replacement for Mattingly. They are on pace for finishing with the best record in the National League and potential top mark overall for a second time in the past three seasons.
L.A. and the New York Yankees began the day tied for the Major League lead with 80 wins. The Dodgers reached the benchmark behind six home runs in a 15-1 drubbing of the Marlins in the series opener.
Their six homers set a Marlins Park record that was previously held by the Colorado Rockies (five). Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger and Matt Beaty, all of whom contributed to the Dodgers’ home run barrage, are back in the lineup Wednesday.
Dodgers lineup:
RF: Joc Pederson
2B: Max Muncy
3B: Justin Turner
CF: Cody Bellinger
SS: Corey Seager
LF: Matt Beaty
1B: Edwin Ríos
C: Russell Martin
P: Clayton Kershaw
Marlins lineup:
SS: Jon Berti
2B: Isan Díaz
RF: Brian Anderson
1B: Garrett Cooper
3B: Starlin Castro
LF: Harold Ramirez
C: Jorge Alfaro
CF: Lewis Brinson
P: Elieser Hernandez
