Clayton Kershaw is starting tonight for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has all the stuff that a staff ace should have – a mid-90s fastball, a sharp slider, and a biting curveball. However, he’s only running an FIP of 4.09 and a xFIP of 4.78.
This is because he struggles mightily against right handers. As a lefty, his breaking pitches break into righties, making it much easier for them to drive the ball. For his career, he has a Greinke-esque 2.07 FIP against lefties and a mere mortal 3.99 FIP (4.62 xFIP!) against righties. Macha knows this, and has loaded the lineup with righties. That means we’ll see Gomez and Hart tonight over Edmonds and Gerut, and the only lefty in the lineup will be Prince Fielder.
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