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Dodgers Opening Day 2015: Clayton Kershaw Starts it All

By Stacie Wheeler

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There’s nothing like an Opening Day at Dodger Stadium with reigning N.L. M.V.P. and Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw on the mound. Spring Training is finally over, and now we get to see how this revamped roster works together in actual competition during the regular season. With a new look bullpen and infield, the Andrew Friedman/Farhan Zaidi era has yet to garner its first official win on the field. There’s been a lot of change this offseason, and the Dodgers have a lot of expectations upon their shoulders heading into 2015.

Clayton Kershaw vs. James Shields

There’s one player who has been a consistent rock of pure competitive perfection. Clayton Kershaw will be taking the ball on Monday, April 6th at Dodger Stadium for Opening Day versus the San Diego Padres. This will be Kersh’s fifth consecutive Opening Day start. Last season Kershaw picked up his first victory in Sydney Australia, but this season he will notch his first win in front of the hometown crowd.

Past Opening Days have been thrilling, dramatic and historic for the Dodgers. This year, the San Diego Padres will counter the Dodgers with their new ace James Shields on Opening Day. With former Dodger franchise player Matt Kemp manning right field for the Friars along with Wil Myers also in their improved outfield, the Padres pose a potential threat to the Dodgers and Kershaw not only on Opening Day but throughout the new season as well.  

In an Easter Sunday blockbuster deal, the Padres acquired super closer Craig Kimbrel from the Atlanta Braves. Of course this shocking trade makes San Diego’s bullpen even better than it already is, but the Dodgers still have a better team than the Padres. If Clayton Kershaw has something to say about it, the Dodgers won’t even have to face Kimbrel on Monday afternoon anyhow.

More from Clayton Kershaw

The Dodgers are looking for a three-peat in the N.L. West, and Monday the Blue journey begins as we get aboard the inevitable emotional roller coaster ride we sadistically enjoy season after season. There’s sure to be many highs and lows throughout the season, but our Blue loyalty never ceases. Losing Hyun-jin Ryu (he begins throwing program Monday) for the start of the season is a disappointment, but the Dodgers did go on to win the division even though Clayton Kershaw was disabled for six weeks after the Sydney trip in early 2014.

 Lineup:

Jimmy Rollins SS

Yasiel Puig RF

Adrian Gonzalez 1B

Howie Kendrick 2B

Carl Crawford LF

Juan Uribe 3B

Joc Pederson CF

A.J. Ellis C

Clayton Kershaw P

Health. Perhaps it is the most important factor in the Dodgers’ success rate this upcoming season. Spring injuries have already hit the club which will make April an interesting month as they work with a brand new bullpen and new starters in the rotation.  Carl Crawford hasn’t hurt himself yet, so that’s a great start. Let’s just hope those scary outfield collisions were only a Spring Training problem.

If the Dodgers get and stay healthy, the ceiling is very high for this team. The bullpen can’t be any worse than last year, and I’m extremely pleased to see Paco Rodriguez and Yimi Garcia make the Opening Day squad. Both pitchers have been fantastic this Spring, and both could be integral pieces to the Dodgers bullpen especially during the Kenley-less zone.

Kershaw is 3-0 over his five consecutive Opening Day starts. We all know Kershaw’s stats from last season. He went 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA, 6 complete games, 2 shutouts, a no-hitter, 239 strikeouts and just 31 walks in 27 glorious starts. Kershaw’s Reign of Dominance was incredible to watch, and his fierce competitiveness made him virtually unhittable.

Until the Red Birds flustered Kershaw and the Dodgers in the NLDS, Kershaw seemed invincible. Kershaw, who will be pitching with his new daughter Cali Ann in his heart and mind this season, is still striving to improve. He’s still only 27-years old and entering his 8th season as a Dodger. With three (should have been four) Cy Young awards under his belt, a Gold Glove, four consecutive All-Star appearances and a M.V.P. award to boot, Kersh still has more of his legacy to carve out. While watching Kershaw’s career certainly makes us reminisce about the great Sandy Koufax, Kershaw has his own history to write as this generation’s greatest pitcher.

A bout with the flu wouldn’t keep Kershaw down previously on Opening Day. He always brings everything he has to his Opening Day starts, and we will never forget his beautiful homerun on Opening Day 2013. Kershaw historically pitches well against San Diego. Last season he went 3-0 against the Padres, and he is 12-6 against them over his entire career with a 2.25 ERA in 24 starts.

James Shields is a formidable foe on the mound, and the Kershaw-Shields matchup will be a great one for Opening Day. Shields has made 7 career Opening Day starts, and he is 1-2 with a 5.05 ERA in those games. Shields will most likely feel some butterflies in his stomach on Monday afternoon since he grew up going to Dodger Stadium and went to Hart High School in Santa Clarita. He’s never pitched at Dodger Stadium.

Opening Day 2015. Photoshop by Stacie Wheeler. Clayton Kershaw photo: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Shields has been a reliable workhorse over his nine seasons. He pitched over 200 innings for eight consecutive seasons. Last year with the American League champion Royals, he went 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA in 34 starts. He struck out 180 batters and walked 44 over 227 innings pitched. In the World Series versus the Giants, Shields went 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA in 2 fateful starts. He allowed 7 runs on 15 hits to San Francisco in the lost series.

Shields pitched solidly this Spring, and he struck out 23 while walking 5 in 19 1/3 innings pitched. He made 6 starts and finished with a 2-1 record with a 2.79 ERA.

Against the Dodgers, Shields has a 5.14 ERA in his one career start against them. The Dodgers faced Shields last June 25th in Kansas City. The Dodgers won 5-4, and Shields allowed 4 runs on 7 hits through 7 innings.

Scott will do the honors of recapping the game tonight, so please come back and check it out. I am optimistic yet hesitant at the same time for this upcoming season. After two seasons in a row of heartbreak in October, I don’t want to get disappointed again in the postseason. The Dodgers have an amazing team for 2015, but they will need to borrow a little 2013 magic in order to go all the way. With Clayton Kershaw and Yasiel Puig leading the way, the Dodgers have the opportunity to make Tommy Lasorda proud and return to the Fall Classic this season.

October is still a long way to go. For right now, enjoy the game. Clayton Kershaw, Dodger Stadium and Vin Scully on the air.

Go Blue!

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