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Clayton Kershaw & The Fastest Dodgers To 15 Wins

The Dodgers try to salvage a game at Miller Park on a Thursday getaway day, and will send their best to the mound to try and get it done. Clayton Kershaw faces the Brewers in search of his 15th win of the season. Sure, pitcher wins might be overrated but the statistic isn't going anywhere, and Kershaw is racking up wins at a rapid rate.

Here is the list of Dodgers since 1980 to win 15 games before September:

Dodgers To 15 Wins Before September
Pitcher Year Date Team Game Season Wins
Orel Hershiser 1988 Jul 31 104 23
Fernando Valenzuela 1986 Aug 4 105 21
Ramon Martinez 1990 Aug 9 109 20
Fernando Valenzuela 1982 Aug 10 114 19
Fernando Valenzuela 1985 Aug 21 117 17
Ramon Martinez 1991 Aug 20 119 17
Jerry Reuss 1980 Aug 20 119 18
Hideo Nomo 2003 Aug 22 127 16
Bob Welch 1982 Aug 24 127 16
Tim Leary 1988 Aug 27 129 17
Kevin Brown 1999 Aug 30 131 18
since 1980

It is worth noting that Nomo won his 15th game of the season in game number 124 in 1995, but because the season started late thanks to the strike of the previous season the game was on September 8. Today is game number 123 for the Dodgers this season.

The Dodgers haven't had a pitcher win more than 16 games since Chan Ho Park won 18 in 2000. The last Dodger to win 20 games was Ramon Martinez in 1990.

Kershaw leads the National League with 193 strikeouts. He needs seven punchouts to become the first Dodgers pitcher with back-to-back 200-strikeout seasons since Chan Ho Park did so in 2000-2001.

Today's Opponent

Sylmar High School graduate Marco Estrada takes the mound for Milwaukee on Wednesday, making his sixth start of the season. Estrada, who turned 28 last month, has also pitched 28 games in relief this season, and has averaged nearly a strikeout per inning while walking less than three batters per nine innings. He is 3-7 with a 4.46 ERA this season, joining Kameron Loe as the only Brewers with a losing record with more than one decision, but Estrada's peripherals suggest some bad luck (3.68 FIP, 3.66 xFIP, 3.81 tERA, 3.24 SIERA). FanGraphs tells us Estrada has thrown his fastball (91 mph on average) just 53% of the time, relying heavily on his changeup (22.3%) and curve (21.7%).

Lineups

Dodgers   Brewers
LF
Gwynn

RF
Hart
SS
Sellers

CF
Hairston
RF
Ethier

LF
Braun
CF
Kemp

1B
Fielder
1B
Rivera
3B
McGehee
3B
Miles

SS
Betancourt
C
Barajas
C
Lucroy
2B
Carroll
2B
Wilson
P
Kershaw

P
Estrada

Game Time: 11:10 a.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

MLB Gameday