Los Angeles Dodgers: Kershaw day against the Phillies

Clayton Kershaw takes the bump for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday in the second game of a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

It has lost its allure in the last few years or so because of his injuries but today is Clayton Kershaw day for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kershaw is set to take the bump and secure the series win against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Kershaw day is still an exciting time as there is the hope that he will turn back the clock and give us a dominant performance. And for the most part, Kershaw has actually been really, really good this year.

His numbers might not be all that impressive but Kershaw has been remarkably consistent this year. It might not be 2014 Kershaw where that consistency is shutouts and one-run games, but it is a consistency that has led to wins.

Nearly every single game, Kershaw pitches 6-7 innings, allowing 2-3 runs. Good enough for a quality start and good enough to put the team in a position to win.

Of his eight starts this year, six fit the 6-7 innings, 2-3 runs narrative. The two exceptions are a game in which he pitched seven innings and allowed one run and a six and two-thirds outing in which he allowed four runs.

The best part? The Los Angeles Dodgers have won every single game that Kershaw has started this year. His ERA might not jump off the sheet but everyone knows what Kershaw is going to do this season and it has given the team the win, every single time.

Let’s focus on some hitting, though, as the Los Angeles Dodgers offense has been stellar for the most part over the last eight games, scoring a combined 57 runs. The Boys in Blue plated six runs on Friday behind some bombs from Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Enrique Hernandez.

Thankfully, our pick for our Los Angeles Dodgers Beat the Streak series was Seager, so we were able to extend our season-best streak. Here is who we are going with on Saturday.

Jason’s pick (Current streak: 8): Cody Bellinger

Rookie southpaw Cole Irvin is likely going to see the most time on the bump against the Dodgers. While Jose Alvarez is getting pinned with the start, he will likely serve as just an opener, with Irvin taking the brunt of the workload as he is replacing Zach Eflin’s place in the rotation.

This will be a good test for the young left-hander as he could impress everyone with a good outing or could get shelled in the process.

Because of the youth aspect of Irvin and the fact that he is a southpaw, I was going to go with David Freese to get a base hit. However, my gut told me to change it to Cody Bellinger, despite the lefty on lefty matchup.

You would think that Bellinger has been a constant name in this eight-game hitting streak but he really hasn’t. He is ironically riding an eight-game hitting streak of his own, so both of our streaks are on the line on Saturday.

Bellinger is obviously a nightmare matchup for a young pitcher that has only made three starts in the big leagues. Perhaps it is a Belli bomb, maybe it is just a single. Either way, Bellinger will extend his streak and ours.