Clayton Kershaw comes up short again

The Los Angeles Dodgers wanted to get off to a good start in the NLCS, and they had the right guy on the mound. Or so they thought.

If you didn’t know the Los Angeles Dodgers are playing the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, and the two teams squared off for Game 1 on Friday night. The Dodgers trotted out their ace Clayton Kershaw to try and get them a victory. Just over four hours of game time later and the Brewers managed to hold on for a 6-5 victory and take a 1-0 series lead.

Things did not go how the Dodgers drew it up, and now they find themselves trying to make adjustments heading into Game 2. Kershaw is almost a lock for the Hall of Fame – World Series champ or not – but for as good as he is in the regular season, the postseason has just not been kind to him.

Kershaw has made 167 regular season starts since 2013. He’s given up five or more runs in only eight of those starts. Since 2013 he’s also made 21 postseason starts including Friday. He’s given up five or more runs six times.

To put things in perspective on how bad the postseason has been for Kershaw; San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner could give up 23 earned runs without getting an out and still have a lower postseason ERA than Kershaw. 

We all know about Kershaw’s well-documented seventh inning struggles in the postseason, but he didn’t even make it that far on Friday. Kershaw lasted only three innings and gave up five runs (four earned). It was the shortest start of his postseason career. The last time he lasted four or fewer innings in the postseason was Game 6 of the 2013 NLCS.

Kershaw threw 30 pitches with two strikes on Friday. The Brewers only swung and missed on one of those pitches. That includes the absolute bomb relief pitcher Brandon Woodruff hit in the third inning on a 2-2 count.

The Dodgers were hoping that Kershaw had exercised his postseason demons against the Atlanta Braves when he threw eight shutout innings on just 85 pitches. Realistically they were right to have confidence in him. In his last five postseason starts he was 3-0 with a 2.93 ERA.

If you throw away Game 6 of last years World Series against the Houston Astros and Kershaw had given up two earned runs or fewer seven of the last nine times he’s taken the mound in the playoffs. That includes all of his relief appearances.

Maybe it’s just the Brewers year, because when’s the next time you’re going to see a relief pitcher go deep in the playoffs? Unfortunately for the Dodgers Game 1 came at their best pitchers expense.

This series is far from over, but will Kershaw be on a shorter leash if he gets the ball again in a potential Game 5?