Clayton Kershaw has made 25 starts at Dodger Stadium in his career. He has allowed more than three runs in a game only once, and that was last June against Cleveland. This season, Kershaw has a 2.00 ERA and 2.65 FIP in 14 starts at home. Yet he is only 3-3 wearing the home whites, yet another reason why wins aren't the best stat to evaluate starting pitchers. Kershaw has three no-decisions this year when he allowed no runs over seven or more innings, the most such games in baseball. Two of those games came at home.
Wade LeBlanc was called up last week by the Padres, and boy are the Dodgers happy to see him. LeBlanc has made seven big league starts, and three have come against the Dodgers. In those three games, LeBlanc has lasted just a total of 12.2 innings, allowing 13 runs on 20 hits (including four home runs) and nine walks. Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune profiled LeBlanc and his many trips to and from Triple A Portland, contrasting him with fellow 2006 draftee Kershaw:
"And [Kershaw]'s got a lot better stuff than I have," LeBlanc said. "It is a struggle (to stick), but the guys who get past that are the ones who have the long careers. The easy part is getting there. The hard part is staying."
Courtesy of the Dodger game notes, Andre Ethier has more RBI against the NL West (45) than he has against all other teams combined (43).
The Dodgers are 9-4 against the Padres this season, including 5-1 at Dodger Stadium.
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Game Time: 7:10pm
TV: Prime Ticket