The Dodgers are wrapping up their series with the Braves and are on the verge of getting swept for the first time since June. One thing that’s been on the minds of fans is, where has Clayton Kershaw been in this series? He would have lined up to start on regular rest on Sunday, but the team opted against having him take the ball for the finale.
For Dave Roberts and the front office are looking at the bigger picture when it comes to Kershaw. The ace left-hander is coming off a stint on the injured list with shoulder inflammation. He also has 16 years of big league mileage on his Hall of Fame left arm and the club is taking that into account.
The ultimate goal and focus for the Dodgers and Kershaw is the postseason and him taking down meaningful innings deep into October. With that, Roberts has opted to give his pitcher extra days between starts while the Dodgers hold a sizeable lead in the NL West standings.
That’s been the case for most of the pitching staff over the last couple of weeks as the dog days of summer roll on.
Kershaw is slated to start game one of LA’s upcoming series in Miami against the Marlins which begins on Tuesday.