Introducing... Clayton Kershaw!

I want to introduce you to a pitcher that you may or may not have heard of. His name?  Clayton Kershaw.  The 20-year-old rookie was brought up from the minors (Double-A Jacksonville Suns) on May 24^th and had his first start in the majors on Sunday. A few stats?  Here you go:

-First-round draft pick two-years ago.

-During spring training, he allowed only one run   and struck out 19 in 14 innings.

-With Jacksonville, he had a 2.28 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 43-1/3 innings.

In his first game in the majors, Kershaw had a solid debut, pitching six-innings, and out of the 102 pitches he threw, 69 were strikes. He was in complete control.

But one must always remember, he’s just a kid. Fans have high expectations for the 20 year-old rookie, and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt believes the Dodgers have something special, but understands what it'll take to turn a young pitcher into a major leaguer.

Could this kid be what the Dodgers have been yearning for? A good solid pitching rotation? Maybe. But what the Dodgers really need is some good hitting. (Nothing against the kid). 

With solid pitching from Kuroda and Billingsley, the offense hasn't been able to get it together. No wonder Rafael Furcal is out with lower back pain, he was practically carrying the whole team. 

Although many may think that we have the next Sandy Koufax on our team, without the offensive plays, the Dodgers will begin to slip rapidly.  

The Dodgers need to get healthy and stay healthy. With most of our veterans out (Kent, Jones and Garciaparra), the rookies need to step up to the plate and show Torre that they can get it done. 

GO DODGERS!