The Dodgers have lost three times by eight or more runs this season. All three losses have come on a Saturday. Following each loss, the Sunday starter was Clayton Kershaw. His previous two such starts have been stellar:
| Date | Opp | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | Game |
| Apr 18 | SF | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | Dodgers 2, Giants 1 |
| May 9 | Col | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | Dodgers 2, Rockies 0 |
Today marks the ninth time in 11 starts that Kershaw has followed a Dodger loss. The Dodgers have been outscored 79-37 in the 11 games immediately preceding a Kershaw start this season.
Kershaw has allowed one run or fewer in each of his last four starts. In a month featuring the worst start of his career (seven runs in 1 1/3 innings against Milwaukee), Kerhsaw still has a 2.73 ERA.
Jhoulys Chacin pitched beautifully in one of those eight-run Dodger losses, pitching 7 1/3 innings in what is affectionately known as The Haeger Game. Speaking of Haeger, he threw three innings last night on a rehabilitation assignment in San Bernardino, and is expected to start for the Dodgers on Tuesday against Arizona, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
Iron Bison
Matt Kemp came out of the game in Washington on April 24 with one out in the 11th inning on a double switch, and Reed Johnson finished up in center field. That was the only time this season Kemp hasn't been on the field. Among major league outfielders, only Ichiro Suzuki and Shin-Soo Choo have played a larger percentage of their team's defensive innings:
| MLB Outfielders 2010 | ||||||
| Player | Team | Pos | G | Inn | Team | Pct |
| Ichiro | Sea | RF | 48 | 428.1 | 428.1 | 100% |
| Choo | Cle | RF | 47 | 416.2 | 416.1 | 100% |
| Kemp | LA | CF | 49 | 433.0 | 435.2 | 99.4% |
| Span | Min | CF | 49 | 435.2 | 440.2 | 98.9% |
| Victorino | Phi | CF | 47 | 419.0 | 427.0 | 98.1% |
| Markakis | Bal | RF | 49 | 425.2 | 436.2 | 97.5% |
| Jones | Bal | CF | 49 | 422.2 | 436.2 | 96.8% |
Kemp has started 73 straight games overall, and has a consecutive games played streak of 91 straight. Kemp started 148 games in center field last season, and seven more in right field.
Manny Ramirez is sitting today, on his 38th birthday. This marks the eighth time in nine opportunities that Ramirez has been out of the starting lineup in a day game after playing a night game this season. The only such game he played was on May 9, which was the night after he was activated off the disabled list.
Xeifrank's simulation of today's game is here.
Game Time: 12:10pm
TV: Prime Ticket