Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers are set to square off against Madison Bumgarner and the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Kershaw and Bumgarner will pitch against one another for the second time already this season. Kershaw commented on facing his old rival once again, per Matt Borelli of dodgerblue.com.
“No, but I have a lot of respect for Bum,” Kershaw said in response to whether or not facing Bumgarner gives him added motivation. “We’ve done it a lot now and we’re still trying to do it. I think there’s a level of respect on both sides that it’s fun to compete against.”
Clayton Kershaw defeated Bumgarner in their first head-to-head matchup last weekend. The Dodgers' left-hander spun six innings of one-run ball while striking out nine hitters and walking nobody. Bumgarner, on the other hand, lasted just four innings and surrendered five earned runs. Additionally, Bumgarner walked four hitters.
The Dodgers are the better team. Los Angeles lost some key players during the offseason, but they still have established veterans such as Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman leading the charge. The Diamondbacks, however, are trending in the right direction. Arizona has young and exciting prospects on their roster in Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno. Meanwhile, ace Zac Gallen has established himself as one of the best pitchers in the game.
Arizona split their opening weekend series with Los Angeles. The Dodgers now lead the season series with the D'Backs 3-2 after earning the win on Thursday. Friday's game projects to be a competitive affair with Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner both on the bump.
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