DODGERS The KERSHAW Thread

Discussion in 'Los Angeles DODGERS' started by irish, Nov 7, 2014.

  1. CapnTreee

    CapnTreee Guest

    He is the best pitcher in the game but.. as mentioned above ... the drive to win it ALL will fester and burn into Clayton's psyche until he puts a ring on his teammates fingers.

    I don't expect that he will let up an iota until he's done so. That is who he is.
     
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  2. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    agreed
    and the letdowns against the cardinals have boiled his blood all offseason
    cy youngs and mvp's are great accomplishments
    but, rest assured, he's focused on bringing that player to the postseason
     
  3. CapnTreee

    CapnTreee Guest

    Note to Friedman et al... "Do Not let DBB start Clayton on three days rest despite how willing he is."
     
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  4. carolinabluedodger

    carolinabluedodger DSP Legend

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    fify
     
  5. CapnTreee

    CapnTreee Guest

    ^...

    and even then honestly

    Clearly Clayton has no lack of heart.. but he needs his rest like every other human

    "IF" we get that far we can agree to disagree, and "IF" the Dodgers have no one else with cajones willing and able to step up then we'll address it then, otherwise my original sentiment stands
     
  6. chris

    chris Guest

    I think Claytons problems with the Cardinals in the playoffs plays directly on controlling the game. meaning when he got into trouble, he tried to get out of it as quickly as possible and make the perfect pitch. He would wear down quickly that way and Cardinals would capitalize. I don't think he deserves all the blame for this because some responsibility of slowing the game down falls on the catcher, pitching coach or manager. A bit of a hot take, but if we had Molina behind the plate against Carpenter in game 1 I think he gets out of the jam.

    I'd like to see Clayton or the Dodgers get a sports psychologist to deal with big spots in games with huge implication. Evan Longoria did an interview on ESPN about how much it helped him a while back. I already think they made a positive first step in getting Gabe Kapler stressing and preaching a positive mental workplace for everyone involved.
     
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  7. CapnTreee

    CapnTreee Guest

    Chris, I completely agree that the mental aspects are huge in the first place and even more important in the playoffs. Winners are those players or teams that can envision winning and know that they have all the right pieces and parts in all the right places to pull it off. There was a great quote years ago from an Olympian gold medal ice skater speaking to this exactly... I'll try to find it later.

    But to the point above I am MORE THAN willing to lay some blame at AJ 'passed ball' Ellis feet too as he could do lots more to be a better field general. No argument will be made to that.

    My original point was that Clayton has a lions heart and is ALWAYS willing to be thrown into the fray even when he's at 7/8's or 3/4 power. He simply will not beg off and therefore a smart manager, as opposed to DBB, would recognize that and give the man his four days of rest. Then he comes out firing on all cylinders and we don't have the noted uncharacteristic breakdowns that we've seen in the playoffs.

    Good positive mental imaging helps, a better catcher helps but it also helps to let the man get his rest so that he's Cy Young sharp.
     
  8. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    so much for the concerns
    as dodger fans, we are so lucky to have this guy
    not only a once-in-a-lifetime pitcher, but a great person and [clearly] a team-first guy

    Kershaw Deflects Question of Having Personal Catcher
    by Matthew Moreno | Dodgers Nation — 3 hours ago

    [​IMG]

    Over the last few seasons it’s been no secret how much Clayton Kershaw values having teammate and close friend A.J. Ellis behind the plate. Where as Kershaw entered the offseason with a minimum of four more years remaining on his contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ellis’ future with the team was far less certain.

    The 33-year-old catcher was limited by two injuries last season and as a result, largely struggled. He hit .191/.323/.254 in 93 games (347 plate appearances) and threw out just 25 percent of basestealers. Nonetheless, Kershaw strongly advocated for Ellis to return in 2015, which came to fruition when Ellis signed a one-year deal to avoid arbitration.

    While Ellis enters another season with the Dodgers, what lies ahead is somewhat of an unknown when taking into account the addition of Yasmani Grandal, who excels in pitch framing. When asked if Ellis needs to be his personal catcher, Kershaw declined to answer and deflected the question to manager Don Mattingly, via Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times:

    "I don't know," Kershaw said. "That's Donnie's call. I love throwing to A.J. Obviously, I've had some success doing that."

    Kershaw added to his response by praising his former battery mates and Grandal:

    "I've had a lot of different guys come through here," Kershaw said. "I've had a lot of good ones, from Russell [Martin] starting out to Rod [Barajas] and Dioner Navarro, and A.J. for a long time now. He comes with a great reputation, Grandal does, of being able to catch the ball and block the ball and stuff. It should be good."

    Mattingly is on record as saying he doesn’t support utilizing a personal catcher and that he wasn’t sure how the duties behind the plate would be split. Grandal played in 128 games for the San Diego Padres last season and is confident he’s fully recovered from a 2013 knee injury.

    While Ellis struggled during the regular season, he was one of the few Dodgers who hit well once the postseason began. In four games against the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division series, Ellis hit .538/.647/.846. For their part, both Ellis and Grandal have downplayed the situation with each placing more of an importance on the team’s success.​
     
  9. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    Kershaw hoping to lead Dodgers to postseason success
    Associated Press — 8 hours ago

    GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Clayton Kershaw had another outstanding year for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. He won 21 games on his way to his third Cy Young Award and his first NL MVP trophy.

    The left-hander also struggled in the playoffs, and that was on his mind when pitchers and catchers reported to the Dodgers' spring camp at Camelback Ranch on Thursday.

    "For me, you want to make up for everything that didn't go well in October, but you can't do that in April," Kershaw said.

    Kershaw went 0-2 with a 7.82 ERA as the Dodgers lost to St. Louis in four games in the division series. The ace is just 1-5 in 11 career playoff games.

    Kershaw thanked the Cardinals during his speech when he was honored on Jan. 24 at the Baseball Writers dinner in New York. The Cardinals reminded him, he said, that "you're never as good as you think you are."

    He said Thursday that the acknowledgment for St. Louis was his way of saying individual awards are nice, but a World Series championship is still his priority.

    "I'm not oblivious to the fact that we didn't win the World Series," he said. "I just wanted to make sure that message got across."

    Kershaw's message came as no surprise to manager Don Mattingly, who joined executive Andrew Friedman at a news conference to talk about camp and the club's hopes for 2015.

    "I think Clayton just continually moves forward,'' Mattingly said. "Obviously, you don't put up the kind of numbers he has over the last few years without putting the bar up higher and higher. He just goes about his business like he always has. Any situation he's in, he learns from it. I just see it as him trying to be better and better."

    Kershaw returns to a much different roster after Friedman made several changes after he was brought over from Tampa Bay in October. Howie Kendrick, who was acquired in a trade with the Angels, takes over at second base after Dee Gordon was traded to Miami. Jimmy Rollins, who was acquired in a deal with the Phillies, figures to be at shortstop after Hanley Ramirez signed a free-agent deal with the Red Sox.

    "Our job doesn't change," Kershaw said. "Obviously, we love to have the balls caught behind us. I think everybody we've had has the ability to do that. Obviously, the guys we brought in are supposed to be good at that. So, it definitely doesn't hurt as a pitcher."
     
  10. CapnTreee

    CapnTreee Guest

    Always a class act...

    I wish sooooo many teammates would pay closer attention
     
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  11. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    lol awesome

    Spring Training: Kershaw reacts to Uribe’s Home Run :facepalm:
    by Matthew Moreno | Dodgers Nation — 1 hour ago

    [​IMG]

    It was a day of firsts for the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch on Saturday. It began with players partaking in the official photo day and continued with Clayton Kershaw throwing roughly two innings worth of live batting practice to his teammates.

    Kershaw faced a group of the three batters — Adrian Gonzalez, Justin Turner and Juan Uribe. As expected, the reigning National League MVP racked up multiple strikeouts during the session, but was also taken deep by Uribe.

    Following batting practice, Kershaw joked that Uribe likely won’t let him live down the fact that he surrendered a home run, via Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times:
    [​IMG]
    Kershaw gave up nine home runs last season and 11 in 2013, winning the Cy Young Award in both years. As for Uribe, hamstring issues limited him to 103 games last season and he managed to hit just nine home runs.

    In 2013, Uribe hit 12 home runs and added two more in the postseason, including the go-ahead shot in the eighth inning of Game 4 of the National League Division Series that proved to be the difference against the Atlanta Braves.

    Since signing with the Dodgers prior to the 2011 season, Uribe’s yearly home run total has declined from his days with the San Francisco Giants and up until the 2013 season, so too did his overall offensive production.

    After turning his fortunes around in 2013, Uribe signed a new two-year deal with the Dodgers that expires after the 2015 season. Entering his age-36 season, Uribe recently stated he isn’t sure if he’ll continuing playing after this season.​
     
  12. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    Kershaw and Trout reflect on 2014 matchup
    by Matthew Moreno | Dodgers Nation — 6 hours ago

    [​IMG]

    When the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Los Angeles Dodgers began their Freeway Series at Chavez Ravine last August, some pegged it as a World Series preview.

    The Angels defeated Zack Greinke in the first game, then were charged with the task of facing Clayton Kershaw the following night. With both teams boasting rosters with a bevy of star players, Kershaw and Mike Trout reigned two of the predominant names.

    Much was made of the first-ever regular season matchup between the eventual NL and AL MVP winners, however Kershaw refused to specifically address facing Trout and instead said he would answer questions on competing against the Angels team.

    Ever the competitor, Kershaw may have been less-inclined to focus on Trout considering he went 2-for-3 with a double. The megastars were recently reunited to fulfill duties tied to their respective endorsement deals with Subway.

    After not going in-depth on squaring off with Trout in his postgame interview, Kershaw willingly discussed the matchup and said he wasn’t annoyed by the attention it drew, via ESPN’s Mark Saxon:

    “There is obviously a little bit of hype the first time and he got the better of me that day and, hopefully, I get him out more than I did that day,” Kershaw said. “I don’t think, ‘Annoy,’ is the right word, but if I get him out four times but don’t get anybody else out, it’s not going to be a very good day, so for him getting hits off me is the main focus for that day. For me, it’s a little different. I’ve got to focus on the whole lineup. It’s a little different mindset I think.”

    Trout then offered insight into his approach against the three-time Cy Young Award winner:

    “My first at-bat, I just ran as fast as I could to first, beat that one out. Then, my second at-bat I had a little different approach. I don’t really swing first pitch a lot and I tried to jump on a fastball and I hit a double down the line,” he said. “My third at-bat against him, he painted three pitches and, I mean I just looked at three of them. It’s just always fun to face the top guys. it’s always a challenge to rise to the occasion.”
    The Angels and Dodgers will play four exhibition games and meet in two three-game series with each team hosting a series during the regular season. While it’s entirely too early to predict if Kershaw and Trout will have the opportunity to match wits once more, the success and failure from their Aug. 5, 2013 matchup will surely be on their minds if they do.

     
  13. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    coming form the padres
    i think you're going to be in for a lot of surprises yasmani
    pleasant ones

    Kershaw’s competitiveness surprises Grandal
    by Matthew Moreno | Dodgers Nation — 5 hours ago

    With Cactus League games only three days away for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw ramped up his level of activity this spring as he threw his first live batting practice session on Saturday.

    Kershaw threw approximately two innings’ worth of pitches, facing teammates Adrian Gonzalez, Justin Turner and Juan Uribe. While Kershaw collected multiple strikeouts during the session, he also surrendered a home run to Uribe. After Uribe got the better of him, Kershaw joked he’d given the veteran third baseman confidence heading into the season.

    Yasmani Grandal, who caught Kershaw during the session, assessed an area of trouble the Dodger ace was having and expressed his surprise over Kershaw’s competitiveness, via J.P. Hoornstra of the LA Daily News:

    “He was just mad at himself because he wasn’t getting his slider over,” said Yasmani Grandal, who was catching Kershaw for the second time this spring. “You don’t expect to see that, but then again he likes to compete. The competitor comes out. Doesn’t matter whether he’s competing in a game or throwing batting practice.”

    While Kershaw may have been struggling with his slider, Grandal added Uribe’s home run helped him get on track:

    “After throwing the slider that Uribe hit for a home run, “it seemed like a lightbulb went on and (Kershaw) started throwing that pitch real good,” Grandal said.

    Uribe’s home run will live on in the clubhouse and amongst fans, but you’ll never find it on a stat sheet. However, when taking into account Kershaw’s previous spring struggles, it’s not all that surprising to learn he was taken deep.

    Over 41 career Spring Training games (34 starts), Kershaw has given up 11 home runs and has a 3.62 ERA. Last year, opponents hit three homers off Kershaw in four starts and he finished with a 9.20 ERA — both of which are career-highs in seven big league camps.

    Kershaw’s first opportunity to face batters other than his teammates will come March 5 in the Dodgers’ second Spring Training game of 2015.
     
  14. BlueMouse

    BlueMouse 2020 World Champions

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    If there is still any debate about whether or not Kershaw is ginger, the Clayton Kershaw Fleece Blanket presented by Security Benefit should put that to rest.
    [​IMG]
     
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  15. bestlakersfan

    bestlakersfan DSP Legend

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    Wtf? That looks more like Turner and Anderson than CK. Fucking lame.
     
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  16. Bluezoo

    Bluezoo Among the Pantheon

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    And if that situation ever remotely presents itself again, then please kidnap Donnie for a coupla' days and let someone else, like Wallach handle it all. Or maybe even Bundy, who is probably a match for DBB.
     
  17. carolinabluedodger

    carolinabluedodger DSP Legend

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    There was never a doubt in my mind.

    :poke:
     
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  18. bestlakersfan

    bestlakersfan DSP Legend

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    Kershaw Frustrated (as fuck)

    http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles...d/14482/clayton-kershaw-is-getting-frustrated

     
  19. lastatman

    lastatman DSP Legend Staff Member Moderator

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    Sorry to revive an old thread, but it just ain't right to not have one on the first page dedicated to the greatest pitcher of the decade and top-ten of all time.

    Stats I heard following yesterday's gem:

    * Kershaw is 81-0 when the Dodgers give him 4+ runs of support.
    * He is now baseball's leader in career shutouts among active players with 14, ironically moving ahead of Colon yesterday (incredible considering he's only 28).
    * Five consecutive starts with 10+ strikeouts is a franchise record.
    * Five consecutive starts with 10+ strikeouts and one or fewer walks is a league record.
    * His ERA+ over the past six seasons is 1.74. Koufax's best six seasons came in at 1.55. The higher number, the better. His career ERA+ is 1.55, and if he retired today, that would be the best in history. Keep in mind this stat is supposed to adjust for era played in, competition, and ballpark.
    * His current K/BB numbers project to an unfathomable 318/17 over a whole season.

    #witnessinggreatness
     
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  20. lastatman

    lastatman DSP Legend Staff Member Moderator

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    Just some updating...

    * 82-0 when he gets 4 or more runs.
    * Six consecutive starts with 10+ K's, extending his own franchise record.
    * Six consecutive starts with 10+ K's and 1 or less BB's, extending his own league record.
     
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