Clayton Kershaw starts Freeway Series finale

The Dodgers finish up the Freeway Series on Thursday night, with ace Clayton Kershaw taking the mound against the Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.

It was in Anaheim on July 2, 2011 where Kershaw allowed seven runs (six earned) in six innings — one day before getting the news that he made his first All-Star team.

That outing is notable because since then, Kershaw has made 178 regular season starts, and in those 1,263⅔ innings (7.10 per start) has posted a 1.99 ERA. This has been one of my favorite Kershaw stats through the years, especially now that he has reached nearly six years of being a sub-2.00 ERA pitcher.

A good start or two, and we can go back a few more starts, absorbing that six-earned-run outing in Anaheim (as of now, going back 182 starts Kershaw has a 2.002 ERA; so close). But whether we go back 178 or 182 starts, Kershaw has been pretty remarkable for quite a long time.

Should Kershaw win on Thursday night, he would reach 12 victories before the All-Star break for the first time. The Dodgers have won each of Kershaw’s last 10 starts, and are 14-2 when he starts in 2017.

Kershaw has faced the Halos four times since that 2011 matchup, including once in Anaheim. All four starts came in the last three years, and Kershaw allowed six total runs, with 33 strikeouts and five walks in 30 innings.

Game info

Time: 7:07 p.m. PT

TV: SportsNet LA, Fox Sports West, MLB Network