Clayton Kershaw has Playoff Demons

Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been one of the best pitchers in all of Major League Baseball since he broke into the league but that success has not always translated into the playoffs for whatever reason. The Dodgers were once again sent home in October after two bad starts for Kershaw in the series and three losses to the St. Louis Cardinals. The shot that left Kershaw crouched, beaten, and clutching his knees came off the bat of the Cardinals Matt Adams and has many around the league wondering if Kershaw will ever figure it out in the postseason.

Kershaw missed the first six weeks of the season in 2014 and still managed to finish with a 21-3 record and a 1.77 ERA but has had his issues with the Cardinals in his career. Kershaw since the beginning of the 2012 season has gone 44-13 with a 1.67 ERA against teams that are not the Cardinals and has a 1-7 record with a 5.69 ERA in eight starts against St. Louis in the same time frame. Kershaw has his struggles against St. Louis but has his demons in October as he has a career 1-5 record including four straight losses with a 5.12 ERA in the playoffs, something that will not get it done in Los Angeles.

Good news for Kershaw is he is still young and on a team that now seems committed to winning so he should have plenty of more opportunities to turn this thing around. Also it should help ease his pain when he is awarded the NL Cy Young Award later in the month and possibly the MVP Award as well. If Alex Rodriguez can exercise his demons then surely the best pitcher on the planet can too.