But for Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, the decision on who will start Game 1 of the NLDS series against the New York Mets has been made.
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Thanks to the best 1-2 pitching punch in all of baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers are favored to win the National League pennant in 2015. Their bench is all but set, pending a medical report on infielder Juan Uribe. Losing Uribe would be a huge blow to the Mets.
The Giants were in San Diego after the All-Star break.
Jimmy Rollins hit a home run for the Dodgers, continuing his Met-killing ways, as did Justin Turner, who probably didn’t know what to do with himself, as he was involved in a victory at Citi Field that didn’t involve him shoving a shaving cream pie into someone’s face while Kevin Burkhardt chuckles. The Dodgers did not designate a Game 4 starter. Zing and Air Warriors displayed their latest target games that are ideal for eye-hand coordination. Andre Ethier, Adrian Gonzalez, and Chase Utley have combined for a batting average of over. With the option to go with Bartolo Colon out of the bullpen and Jeurys Familia as their closer, they should feel comfortable in that aspect.
“Some guys that that still have a few physical question marks, we want to see how they look today and tomorrow”. He’s won three of the past four Cy Youngs along with the 2014 NL MVP.
“If my pitch count got there by the time I had six strikeouts, I would’ve come out of the game”, Kershaw said.
Kershaw went 11-1 with a 1.22 ERA along with four complete games in his final 17 starts this season, according to Fox Sports. If the Dodgers ask more from Kershaw and win their first championship in 27 years, they will transcend second-guessing. He is likely to start Game 1 against Jacob deGrom and the NL East champions, although the Dodgers have yet to announce their rotation. The Dodgers are a team that could run out two lineups, composed of completely different ballplayers, and each of those would be pretty good. Although Michael Conforto hit over. The Dodgers figure to round out their rotation with a pair of left-handers: Brett Anderson and Alex Wood. Tejada is 5-14, Flores is 3-6 and Cuddyer is 4-16 against Kershaw.
Something’s Missing. As brilliant as Kershaw has been throughout his career, he’s struggled in the postseason.
As much as Mattingly and the pitching staff need to prepare for Cespedes and an improved Mets offense, the biggest task facing the Dodgers at the moment is figuring out their starter for a pivotal Game 3 matchup.
Note: Ranks are based on starting pitchers with 90 or more innings pitched. They ended the regular season with the third-highest total in club history, trailing only last season (3,782,337) and 2007 (3,857,036). If the Mets fall into an 0-2 hole going back to New York, they are as good as dead.
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“(Hefley) has been a very dedicated Dodger employee, who has entertained our fans for many years, and we are most appreciative of her contributions each and every night”, Lon Rosen, Dodgers’ executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said in a press release.
