The Dodgers took a risk starting Clayton Kershaw on short rest, and beat the Nationals 6-5. Kershaw was charged with five runs as his three bequeathed runners all score against the Dodgers pen. Now the Dodgers go back to Washington to face Max Scherzer.
Seeing the future is tough, but it’s likely the Dodgers could have won 6-5 with Julio Urias on the mound. In that case we would be looking at a Kershaw-Scherzer match-up in game five. Now it will be Hill or Urias against the Nationals ace. I like either of those match-ups for the Nats. If the Dodgers won this as a low scoring game, 3-2, 2-1, for example, then Kershaw was the right move. The Dodgers scored enough runs, however, that most teams would win the game. Teams in 2016 were 1285-257, .833, when scoring six runs or more, and 295-123, .706 when scoring exactly six runs.
I understand not wanting to go down with your best player on the bench. The point, however, is to win the series, not a game. Now, they need to hope Scherzer pitches a poor game on Thursday. Maybe that happens, maybe the Dodgers just get lucky. I would not want to depend on either of happening.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2dUaDRR
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