Dodgers facing different Mets in NLDS
Kershaw will see new NY lineup since regular season matchup
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw isn’t sure what to expect from the new-look Mets, whose dramatic transformation in the second half of the season led to an NL East title.
The Los Angeles Dodgers ace faced a mostly different New York lineup before the July trade deadline. Even veteran Mets infielder David Wright was out at the time.
“There’s a lot of guys that I’ll be seeing for the first time this season,” Kershaw said Thursday. “Definitely a completely different team. Obviously, a lot better than what we faced in July.”
The Dodgers aren’t the same team that got chased out of the Division Series by St. Louis a year ago. They shipped out Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez and Juan Uribe (now a Met), and ushered in veterans Jimmy Rollins, Howie Kendrick and Yasmani Grandal.
When Kershaw takes the mound for Friday night’s opener at Dodger Stadium, he’ll be trying to earn just the second postseason win of his career after going 0-4 in his last two series against the Cardinals.
“I definitely remember,” he said, “but it’s a new team, new season and, hopefully, for me a new outcome.”
The Mets won four of seven meetings between the teams, all in that month before Yoenis Cespedes arrived from Detroit in a trade that boosted the Mets’ anemic offense. They are in the
playoffs for the first time in nine years; the Dodgers are making their third straight appearance for the first time in franchise history.
Kelly Johnson and Uribe joined the Mets shortly after Cespedes, acquisitions manager Terry Collins credited for turning around the team along with the his message to the players: If you hit, you’ll play.
“Lucas Duda took off, (Wilmer) Flores took off, Kelly Johnson and Juan kept playing, as well,” Collins said. “All of a sudden guys are looking at their jobs
saying, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve got to step up here, and they did.’”
Kershaw will be opposed by Jacob deGrom, last year’s NL Rookie of the Year and a converted infielder who is making his playoffs debut. The right-hander isn’t about to compare himself to Kershaw, last year’s NL MVP and a three-time Cy Young Award winner, except in one area.
“The way he takes the mound, he goes out there and attacks hitters,” deGrom said. “I try to do the same thing, not get intimidated by anybody who steps in the box and go out there and make your pitches when you need to.”