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Clayton Kershaw Still Looking for First Win
Clayton Kershaw (0-0, 2.35) vs. Kyle Weiland (0-2, 8.44)
Lineup:-vs. Houston
Dee Gordon 6Adam Kennedy 4Matt Kemp 8Andre Ethier 9Juan Rivera 7James Loney 3Justin Sellers 5A.J. Ellis 2Clayton Kershaw 1Clayton Kershaw hasn’t been in top form since his Opening Day bout with the flu. Even when Kersh isn’t in top Kersh form, he’s still really good. He’s only allowed four earned runs in his first three starts. Last Sunday Clayton struggled to get through only 5 1/3 innings. That was his shortest outing at Dodger Stadium since May 2011. The sensational southpaw will try to capture his first win of the season in Houston this afternoon. In his career against the Astros, he has a 2-1 record with a 3.19 ERA. Carlos Lee has hit him well in the past, and he has a .308 batting average versus Kersh with one homerun. Chris Snyder also has a homerun and is hitting over .400 versus Clayton.
Kyle Weiland, 6’4″ 195 pound right-hander, has had two poor starts for the Astros so far this season. He’s looking for his first victory in the Majors. He was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2008, and was traded to Houston last December with Jed Lowrie in exchange for Mark Melancon. In Weiland’s first game against the Braves, he allowed 4 earned runs on 8 hits in 5 innings pitched. In his second outing versus the Nationals he allowed 6 earned runs on 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings of work. He was pitted against Stephen Strasburg in his last start. He has his work cut out for him as he draws Clayton Kershaw for today’s matchup. He’s never faced the Dodgers.
Matt Kemp is playing on a totally different level than any other player in the Majors right now. He currently has a nine-game hitting streak after belting out his eighth homerun yesterday. He has a .481 batting average and 20 RBI in his first 14 games. Truly remarkable. He could very well be the best Dodger hitter I have ever seen play.
In minor league news, pitcher Angel Guzman was suspended for 50 games after violating the MLB drug policy for the second time. The Dodgers are sticking by Guzman, who is listed on the AAA Isotopes roster but has not appeared in a game this season.
The game will be broadcast on KCAL at 4:05 pm. Go Blue!
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