FACING KERSHAW

Perhaps no player faces more pressure than the great starter who must prove he can thrive at this time of year. Kershaw (right) is 0-4 with a 7.15 ERA in his last four postseason starts — though two of those were actually quality starts. Is he ready to break free and have a Madison Bumgarner postseason?

Against righties, Kershaw wants to dominate the inner half and hitters have to think about driving the ball into left-center. Two keys: Can you lay off his back-foot slider and is he landing his 12-to-6 curve? If he has that curve working, Kershaw will get ahead with it and can finish off a hitter going backdoor. If not, then that is a pitch you can eliminate as a hitter, especially the one that starts low and ends in the dirt.

The Mets will play their key lefties against him and Curtis Granderson and Lucas Duda are a combined 2-for-20 against the southpaw. Kershaw tries to use his cutter and curve and generally stay away from lefties, but he occasionally leaves a ball over the plate — as he did in a key moment to Cardinals lefty masher Matt Adams in the Game 4 clincher of last year’s division series, hanging a curve that was crushed for a three-run homer. Kershaw’s history is to be aggressive early with his fastball. Kershaw’s competitiveness feeds the team. Thus, if he pitches great it could fuel the whole team. But if he doesn’t it could set the tone

for a whole series.