In a move I didn't see coming, Clayton Kershaw was the odd man out to make room for Hiroki Kuroda's return from the DL, as he was optioned to Double-A Jacksonville.
From what I've read, he wasn't too happy about it either. I was thinking maybe they'd cut dead weight like Mark Sweeney or Angel Berroa, but I guess that was wishful thinking on my end. Joe Torre stated how he wanted to keep Ramon Troncoso up to have another option in the bullpen, and that's understandable.
Still, I'm not a big fan of this move. His last start was much better, and it was in Houston, where anyone can be a power hitter. His next start was going to be in San Francisco, and they've been horrible this year. Just doesn't make much sense to me.
The flip side is that he does have command issues to deal with, which will be his goal down on the farm. In 8 starts and 38.2 IP, he's walked 24, or 3 a game. For someone that hasn't gone past 6 innings, that's too many. I know he's still working on a changeup to go along with a wicked curveball and great heater. He'll figure it out.
I think once a couple of days go by, he'll be ok. And I certainly believe he should be recalled later in the year. 2 keys will be Eric Stults and Jason Schmidt. If Stults falters and Schmidt cannot regain his form, then Kershaw will be back in no time. It'll be interesting to keep an eye on his starts in Jacksonville.
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