Kershaw to start G4 looking to even series

Clayton Kershaw’s back was improved on Wednesday, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after their 15-3 Game 3 win that the veteran left-hander would get the ball in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday at Globe Life Field.

Game	Date	Result	Highlights
Gm 1	Oct. 12	ATL 5, LAD 1	Watch
Gm 2	Oct. 13	ATL 8, LAD 7	Watch
Gm 3	Oct. 14	LAD 15, ATL 3	Watch
Gm 4	Oct. 15	ATL 10, LAD 2	Watch
Gm 5	Oct. 16	LAD 7, ATL 3	Watch
Gm 6	Oct. 17	LAD 3, ATL 1	Watch
Gm 7	Oct. 18	LAD 4, ATL 3	Watch

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Kershaw was a late scratch for his Game 2 start on Tuesday because of back spasms. He nonetheless threw a “pretty aggressive” bullpen session that day, Roberts said, “letting it go” and coming out of it “great."

"Talked to him today, and he’s in a good head space," Roberts said. "We’re in a better place than yesterday.”

Although Roberts has said that Kershaw was injured during a Saturday bullpen session, he was unaware that Kershaw’s velocity dropped considerably during his Game 2 start in the NL Division Series against the Padres last week.

In that game, Kershaw's average fastball velocity went from 92.5 mph in the first inning to 90.6 mph in the sixth; Eric Hosmer's home run in the sixth came on an 89.7 mph fastball. Kershaw’s slider velocity dropped by even more as the game progressed, from 89.8 mph at the start to 86.7 mph at the finish.

Mookie: 'I need to ... do my job'
Four-time Gold Glove Award-winning outfielder Mookie Betts took the blame for the run Atlanta scored in the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 8-7 Game 2 loss, as well as just about everything else.

With two out and nobody on, Alex Wood walked Travis d’Arnaud, allowed an infield single up the middle to Ozzie Albies, then gave up a line drive down the right-field line by Dansby Swanson that Betts was unable to run down.

The ball landed just fair and bounced out for a ground-rule double that scored d’Arnaud and boosted the Braves’ lead to 7-0. Betts was playing the right-handed Swanson to pull, and had to make a long run for what would have been a difficult catch in an unfamiliar ballpark.

“That’s the first ball I’ve gotten down the line near the wall like that, and I thought the wall was a little closer than it was. I didn’t get a chance to peek at the wall first, which is my fault, obviously,” said Betts, who hasn’t made any excuses all year. “I was just afraid to run into the wall. That’s a bad play by me.”

While he was at it, Betts shouldered responsibility for the club’s offensive stumbles.

“I need to get on base and do my job,” he said. “I have to be a little more disciplined and try to ... get myself into advantaged counts by taking pitches below the zone. Definitely my fault for not being disciplined.

“I lead off, that’s my job, and I have to take ownership, and I’ve been doing it all year and can’t stop now. I haven’t done it these last couple games, so I need to get rolling and try to spark some energy.”

Impressive numbers
Statcast was very impressed with the Dodgers’ Game 2 rally.

For example, the three-run homer by Corey Seager, which got the Dodgers on the board, left his bat at 107 mph and further solidified his spot atop the list of the most hard-hit line drives and fly balls in 2020, ahead of even Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman.

Max Muncy’s two-run homer in the ninth inning left the bat at 111.5 mph, the highest exit velocity of his career and second highest for a Dodger in 2020.

And Cody Bellinger’s RBI triple, which cut the deficit to one run in the ninth, was another display of his power-speed combination. The 113.6 mph line drive into the right-field corner was the hardest-hit ball of his career, and his sprint speed of 29.6 feet per second is considered elite by Statcast.