Poor Chase, he just wrote a fantastic analytical piece on Clayton Kershaw. However, to the delight of Braves fans, Kershaw won’t be toeing the rubber tonight.
BREAKING: Clayton Kershaw has been scratched from his start tonight with back spasms. Gonsolin will face Atlanta in Game 2 (via @jonmorosi)
— SportsTalkATL.com (@SportsTalkATL) October 13, 2020
It’s not to say Kershaw won’t make an appearance in the NLCS, and his replacement — Tony Gonsolin — is no easy draw. However, Kershaw has straight up owned Atlanta in the postseason, only giving up one earned run in 21 innings. Atlanta has hit lefties well in the 2020 playoffs, but they’ll face the 26-year-old righty instead of one of the greatest pitchers of the 2010s.
Gonsolin has been nothing short of excellent since he was called up last season. Over 86.2 career innings, he’s posted a 2.60 ERA with 83 Ks and a 0.92 WHIP. He had a fantastic 2020. In eight starts, his ERA sits at 2.31 with a 0.84 WHIP & an 8.9 K/9. Gonsolin also only posted a 1.4 BB/9 in 2020, so patience will be key for the Braves tonight after drawing five walks off of Walker Buehler in Game 1. This will be his first playoff appearance, so hopefully Atlanta can rattle his cage early.
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Photo: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
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