A couple of very good veterans meet up in game with Darvish facing left hander Kershaw today. Darvish threw off concerns about past playoff woes and tossed a gem against the Mets in the Wildcard series. He was wickedly good in September with a 1.85 ERA for the month. The Dodgers have seen a lot of Darvish this year, and he has been very good in three of the four starts, while struggling with a 5 run effort in an earlier start. Darvish is better pitching at home and can struggle in the first inning, although we didn't see it in his last appearance vs the Dodgers resulting in a 7 inning 2 hit shutout.
Kershaw has been equally sharp, with an ERA of 1.59 in his last three starts, and hasn't given up more than 2 runs since returning from the IL in early August. He has pitched under 130 innings this year, and is well rested, so we should see vintage Kershaw today. He has allowed just 1 run in 12 innings against the Padres in two previous appearances this season.
The Dodgers were the league's leading offense this year, but weren't quite as dominant down the stretch. They got to Clevinger early yesterday but were held in check by the Padres' pen. The Dodgers have a fine bullpen, also well rested at the moment.
I expect solid outings from both starters today. This could be Darvish's finest season if he can make a solid play off run, but it is hard to argue with Kershaw. The Dodgers' bullpen is formidable and well rested. The Padres' relievers shut down the Dodgers last night, and Darvish can pitch for real length. Take Game 2 to go under the total.