L.A. is going with Ryu as Kershaw waits
Ace gets normal rest while South Korean draws opening nod
LOS ANGELES — These aren’t the same Dodgers that won 104 games, ran away in the NL West, and fell one victory short of a World Series title last year.
Example A: After a slow start, they won 92 games and needed Game 163 to earn their sixth straight division title.
Example B: Clayton Kershaw won’t be opening the postseason as the Game 1 starter for the first time in six consecutive playoff appearances.
Example C: Kershaw told Hyun-Jin Ryu that the South Korean lefthander was going to take the mound on Thursday night against Mike Foltynewicz and the Atlanta Braves to begin the best-of-five Division Series.
“I’m obviously kind of nervous, but I think it’s a good thing,” Ryu said through a translator Wednesday.
The Dodgers obviously think flip-flopping Kershaw and Ryu is the right move, with manager Dave Roberts saying it allows both pitchers to have five days’ rest between starts. If Kershaw started Game 1, he would be on four days’ rest, while Ryu would be on six days’ rest.
Kershaw starting the opener has always been the surest sign that it’s October. The lefthanded face of the franchise has started eight of the past 10 postseason Game 1s. He can opt out of his contract after the World Series.
“He obviously wanted to pitch Game 1 and expected to,” Roberts said. “But after talking to him and explaining our thoughts, he accepted it, and he just said he’ll be ready to go for the second game.”
Kershaw often has started on short rest in recent postseasons, but the Dodgers don’t plan on that this time. Rookie Walker Buehler is set to go in Game 3, having impressed enough to be the heir apparent to Kershaw.
“It doesn’t have to all fall on his shoulders like it has in the past,” starter-turned-reliever Alex Wood said of Kershaw.
Ryu is eager to make a mark after not pitching in the postseason since 2014, having been injured for most of 2015 and 2016. He was left off last year’s playoff rosters after going 5-9 with a 3.77 ERA.
Still, Ryu has posted a better ERA (2.81) in his three career postseason games than Kershaw (4.35) in his 24 playoff games.
Ryu was 7-3 with a 1.97 ERA in the regular season. Kershaw was 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA and team-high 155 strikeouts.
Like the Dodgers, the Braves aren’t the same team they were a year ago. Atlanta is back in the postseason for the first time since 2013, when they were beaten by the Dodgers in four games.
Under manager Brian Snitker, the Braves went from 72 wins in 2017 to 90 and the NL East title this year, surprising many with the quick turnaround.
Led by so-called “Baby Braves” — 20-year-old left fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and 21-year-old second baseman Ozzie Albies — Atlanta has gotten production from veterans Nick Markakis and Freddie Freeman as well.
What the Braves lack is playoff experience, especially compared to the battle-tested Dodgers.
“We got a bunch of young guys that they had never experienced September either, having to win and chasing a division,” Snitker said, “and then it didn’t faze them a bit.”