Clayton Kershaw may no longer be at his peak, but he has remained an elite starting pitcher on one of the best Los Angeles Dodgers rotations in franchise history.
He has a chance to add to his Hall-of-Fame résumé Tuesday as he goes for his 166th career win, which would break a tie for fifth place on the franchise leaderboard with Sandy Koufax, another iconic Dodgers left-hander.
Kershaw is also currently riding a stretch of seven straight quality starts, dating back to July 5. During that stretch, his ERA has lowered from 3.23 to 2.63, and the Dodgers won the final six of those starts.
He looks to continue that streak on Tuesday night as the Dodgers open a six-game homestand against American League East teams, starting with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays are currently in the midst of a rebuild, which they furthered by sending ace Marcus Stroman to the New York Mets before the trade deadline. The Dodgers reportedly expressed interest in Stroman before he was dealt to the Mets.
Now, the Jays are powered by a dynamic lineup powered by three high-powered rookies, all of whom are sons of former Major Leagues who will be familiar to Dodgers fans.
The most notable is Vladamir Gurrero Jr., who beat Joc Pederson in a memorable, double-overtime semifinal in the 2019 Home Run Derby. Gurrero, son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Gurrero Sr., gets his first chance to play in a stadium where his father batted .307/.362/.584 over his illustrious career.
However, Toronto’s hottest rookie currently is Bo Bichette, who owns a 1.027 on-base plus slugging percentage in his first 20 MLB games. Bichette’s father, Dante, was a former All-Star who spent the prime of his career with the Colorado Rockies in the mid-1990s.
Dante Bichette retired in 2002 after spending Spring Training with the Dodgers that year and failing to make the Opening Day roster.
Justin Turner gets the day off as Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernandez return from the 10-day injured list. Taylor starts in left field with Hernandez at second base while Max Muncy slides over to third base in Turner’s place.
Will Smith bats third, Turner’s usual spot, for the second time in as many games.
Dodgers lineup:
CF: A.J. Pollock
3B: Max Muncy
C: Will Smith
1B: Cody Bellinger
LF: Chris Taylor
SS: Corey Seager
2B: Kiké Hernandez
RF: Joc Pederson
P: Clayton Kershaw
Blue Jays lineup:
SS: Bo Bichette
2B: Brandon Drury
3B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
RF: Randal Grichuk
CF: Tecosar Hernandez
1B: Justin Smoak
C: Danny Jansen
LF: Fisher
P: Sean Reid-Foley
