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LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has dismissed the importance of not turning to his longtime ace, Clayton Kershaw, on day one of the playoffs.
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"It's obvious that the first game is important," said Roberts, "but the second game is too."
Ryu will start Thursday against the Atlanta Braves in the first game of the National League Division Series, with a first start scheduled at 20:37. AND on the MLB network. Kershaw will start the second game. This is the first time since 2009 that he's not on the mound for the Dodgers at the start of their playoff series.
Prior to Wednesday's training session, Roberts said the decision was simply "trying to understand that both games have equal importance and know what we can do to put the two pitchers in the best position to succeed. "
"Obviously, he wanted to play in the first game and was planning to do it," Roberts said of Kershaw. "But after talking to him and explaining our thoughts, he agreed, and he just said that he would be ready for the second game."
Kershaw can still line up for a fifth deciding game, which would not take place until Oct. 10 and coincide with Kershaw's normal rest. But Roberts would only commit to starting young Walker Buehler in Atlanta for Sunday's third game.
Kershaw treated his problems with the back for a third season in a row, but was still able to finish with a points average for 2.73 in 161 1/3 innings. However, in his last two starts, he conceded eight runs on 14 hits in 11 innings. Ryu missed more than three months due to a groin injury, but finished with a 1.87 ERA in 82 innings and 1/3 and an average of 1.50 in five starts.
It's Kershaw who announced to Ryu that he would start the first game.
"I'm obviously a little nervous," said Ryu through an interpreter, "but I think it's a good thing, I'd like to be able to channel that nervousness to somebody." good thing tomorrow, and I hope to succeed well.
The Dodgers rode on Kershaw and got closer Kenley Jansen played in an October heat that reached the seventh game of the World Series last fall, the duo counting for nearly 37% of the 135 innings of his pitching team.
But Roberts, who has seen Kershaw and Jansen go through their struggles this season, hopes to ease them out of a heavy workload if his club continues to progress in these playoffs. Roberts said that it was "unlikely" that Jansen would be nearly up to the workload of last year.
Kershaw probably will not do it either.
"It's always easy to have Clayton regularly [rest] or let Clayton do 120 or 125 pitches, because that's Clayton Kershaw – and he deserved it. He is our best pitcher and he has shown it throughout his career, "Roberts said, and the organization has to do what is right for the player and the team.This n & # 39; It's not always popular, but it's something we've thought about a lot. "
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