For all of you Clayton Kershaw lovers, your argument for having him join the rotation just got stronger.
Pitching 3 innings of relief for Brad Penny, Kershaw gave up 1 meager hit and struck out 6 to lower his Spring ERA to 0.90. To put in perspective just how great he has been, in 10 innings of relief work, he has allowed only 1 run and K'd 10. All of this from a 20-year-old kid. Just amazing what he has done.
Yes, it's only Spring Training, and who knows how he would have done when the lineups are at full strength. But, not only has he backed up all of the hype, he has made himself look like a legit major league player. Will he land the 5th spot? I still don't think so, mostly because Esteban Loaiza has been good enough to earn it (and that contract of his...).
What will more than likely happen is that he'll be sent to Triple-A Las Vegas. Truth be told, that may be best for him right now considering he's never been about the Double-A level. Let him go to Vegas and get consistent innings, and then reevaluate him. Like I've said a hundred times before, the injury bug is going to hit at some point (just ask Jeff Kent and Nomar Garciaparra), so he'll get another look.
As for the rest of today's game, it ended up being a 3-3 tie with the Milwaukee Brewers. Good thing it was a tie because the Dodgers have already lost 5 in a row. With a Spring record of 9-18-2 and after traveling to a million different places to play (because after all, Spring Training is about seeing the whole world, you know), I think it'll be a welcome sight come Monday when the games count and the Bonds-less Giants come to town.
Just start the season already!
2 comments:
Good stuff. Keep the Kershaw updates comin'!
Thanks, hopefully they'll be plenty more as the season goes on. Even if he's not with LA at first, tracking his stats in the minors will be worth noting.
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