A Battle of MLB Aces: Chris Paddack vs Clayton Kershaw
After a disappointing series in Colorado, Chris Paddack and the San Diego Padres head to Los Angeles to face off against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers in the must-see MLB matchup.
MLB Rookie Chris Paddack will be taking the mound against one of the best pitchers to ever play the game on Tuesday night. There will probably be more eyes on Clayton Kershaw on Tuesday night because he is the bigger name, but eyes will turn to Paddack after the first few innings.
Kershaw is 2-0 with a 3.31 ERA in his first five starts in 2019 in addition to over 30 strikeouts. Those numbers aren’t as impressive when you look at the teams he has faced.
The lefty has gone up against poor offenses like the Cincinnati Reds with a struggling Joey Votto, Pirates, and a Fernando Tatis Jr-less San Diego Padres.
Kershaw pitched against the Padres a couple of weekends ago in early May when he went 6 innings, allowing 3 earned runs with 6 strikeouts. He gave up a moonshot to former teammate Manny Machado that early hit the gigantic jumbotron at Petco Park.
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Ian Kinsler also managed to homer off Kershaw in the third inning.
The Padres will be without Fernando Tatis Jr. yet again due to a hamstring injury so their lineup won’t be at full force, but it will still be fun to see Kershaw battle against Machado and Eric Hosmer.
Chris Paddack, on the other hand, has pitched out of this world.
He is 3-1 with a 1.55 ERA (2nd in MLB behind Zach Davis at 1.54). His most impressive performance came last Monday night in San Diego against reigning Rookie of the Month Pete Alonso and the New York Mets.
Before the game, he voiced his displeasure in Pete Alonso bringing home the Rookie of the Month award in April saying, “I’m coming for him.”
He definitely came for him. He proceeded to go 7 2/3 innings and striking out 11 Mets batters without giving up any earned runs. He led the Padres to a 4-0 shutout victory.
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Make sure to get to a television screen on Tuesday night at 10:10 pm ET to watch Chris Paddack duel Clayton Kershaw out at Dodger Stadium.