Clayton Kershaw Not a Threat to St. Louis Cardinals

Yes, you read that right: Clayton Kershaw is not as big a threat to the St. Louis Cardinals as most people think. There is no doubt in the man’s ability overall as a pitcher. But take a further look at Kershaw’s stats against the Cardinals in his career.

In 15 career starts (postseason included), Kershaw has a 4-7 record with four games where he did not get a decision. In 2013, he was 0-4 in four starts against the Cardinals, giving up 13 earned runs in those starts over 23 innings pitched for a 4.70 ERA.

Now I know that was last year. This season, he has improved his numbers against the Cardinals, going 1-0 in two starts, including a gem on June 29th where he pitched 7.0 innings with 13 strikeouts. But Kershaw’s career track record favors the Cardinals overall. His career record in the postseason against the Cardinals is 1-2 with a 4.82 ERA.

One more thing to factor in is who Kershaw will be squaring off against, Adam Wainwright. Wainwright is having a career-best year and would be the Cy Young winner had Kershaw not been so dominant as well. However, the Dodgers can claim the same thing about Wainwright in that he is beatable. In his career, Wainwright is 3-7 in 12 games against the Dodgers (postseason included) and 0-2 in the playoffs with a 2.08 ERA.