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Kershaw was as dominant as ever. He allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings in his first start in Houston since the 2017 World Series. While the scoreboard says it was a blow out win, the first few innings were anything but that. Both Kershaw and Greinke started off with 3 perfect innings. Bauer takes the mound tomorrow as he looks to give the Dodgers their 9th win in a row.
Dodgers hitting when they need to
Everything clicked for the Dodgers in game 1 of the 2 game series. While their bats were quiet in the first 3 innings, they found timely hits when they needed to. Turner started it off with a 2-run home run in the 4th inning. Then Chris Taylor got the job done in the 6th inning by delivering a 2 RBI single with the bases loaded. After that, the Dodgers never really looked back.
Roberts even put Kelly in, to the surprise of many. I’m sure Dodger fans appreciated the appearance even if it was just for one out. Kelly has recently come back from an injury and got rattled by the Angels in his first relief appearance of the year. Roberts is helping him get some outs without over working him so expect to see Kelly more frequently in 1 or 2 out situations.
Baseball’s biggest foes silenced
Altuve went 0-4 and Correa went 1-4 which is great news for baseball fans everywhere. Bauer will look to keep the momentum rolling. The Dodgers have now won 8 in a row but the Padres remain in first place by half a game. That will be a little extra motivation for Bauer who is currently making a case for a repeat Cy Young award. Bauer is currently 5-2 with a 1.98 ERA so he is an early favorite for the Cy Young in 2021 but still has more than half of the season left to maintain his dominance.
Bauer starting will make it must watch baseball
Bauer is the perfect starter for this game given all the recent history between the 2 teams. He likes to put on a show and everyone in baseball wants this series to be more than just baseball. Joe Kelly was the hero we all needed in 2020 and Bauer has what it takes to give us another show. He might wait until the later innings but don’t expect Bauer to celebrate in silence. He will be vocal and visible for the nation to see. Anything else would simply be off-brand from Bauer.
