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The best pitcher in the Japanese league has already lured both Southern California teams across the Pacific.

The Dodgers, like the Angels, have scouted Japanese right-handed pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, according to a source. Tanaka is 21-0 with a 1.24 ERA for the Rakuten Eagles and he could benefit from what is a mediocre crop of free-agent pitchers on the market this fall.

The Dodgers signed a 19-year-old Japanese prospect, Takumi Numata, to a minor-league deal Monday. They likely scouted Tanaka while they were there.

The Dodgers will go into 2014 with Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu in their rotation, but they have some uncertainty beyond that. Ricky Nolasco will be a free agent and Chad Billingsley and Josh Beckett are coming off serious injuries.

Speculation is that teams could have to pay $25 million or more to Tanaka’s team just to win the right to negotiate with him. The Dodgers paid Ryu’s Korean team $26 million before signing him to a six-year, $36 million deal in December.

PHOENIX -- If you are a Los Angeles Dodgers fan and you are starting to get frustrated with your team being stuck in this thick, goopy mud so close to the tape in the National League West race, realize that you are, in fact, alone.

Well, maybe you’re not alone among your fellow fans. But those feelings quite evidently aren’t shared by the Dodgers, even after their 2-1 loss Monday to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field kept their magic number stuck at four for the fourth straight day.

“I don’t think anybody here doubts that we’re going to do it,” Mark Ellis said.

Of course not. For the Dodgers to blow a 9½-game lead with 12 games left would prompt books to be written, followed closely by screenplays.

The only issue worth worrying about much is whether the assortment of injuries to the team’s key hitters will throw off the team’s swagger and rhythm going into the playoffs. Even that hardly seems like something to panic about, considering none of the injuries to Hanley Ramirez, Andre Ethier or Carl Crawford figures to linger more than about another week. Matt Kemp’s health, because it has been so tenuous all season, is another matter.

“I think we’re just getting close to the goal line here, and games are tough to win,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “Then, all of a sudden, we look at a lineup that doesn’t have Hanley in it, doesn’t have Andre Ethier in it. … Guys are not in their spots.”

If the Dodgers had more healthy bodies, Nick Buss would not have had the pivotal at-bat Monday night.

If they had healthier bodies, A.J. Ellis probably wouldn’t have been hitting fifth and wouldn’t have been in position to strike out with the bases loaded and stunt the Dodgers’ biggest threat.

If they had healthier bodies, Mattingly wouldn’t have asked Juan Uribe to lay down a bunt in the ninth inning, because -- frankly -- it likely never would have come to that.

Arizona’s closer, Brad Ziegler, throws with a sidearm motion that creates nasty angles for right-handed hitters. For Ziegler’s career, righties are hitting .216 and lefties are hitting .300. It would have been the perfect inning to tap Crawford or Ethier to pinch hit. Neither player was available.

See what Mattingly means about guys not being in their spots?

There is still a massive upside here. The pitching, typically, is great. Hyun-Jin Ryu might have had his finest outing as a Dodger in the complete-game loss. After the first inning, he allowed just one baserunner. He left one pitch up to the most dangerous hitter in the league, Paul Goldschmidt, and it cost the Dodgers the game.

“I threw 100 pitches today, but that one pitch seems to be the decision-maker,” Ryu said through his interpreter. “That was an error on my part.”

And, even with all this teeth-gnashing going on among Dodgers fans during this 3-9 stretch, their team still has an excellent chance of being the first in baseball to clinch. If the Dodgers win two of their next three games here, they’re in, and who’s going to care about the previous two weeks?

They earned the luxury of playing lousy games for a couple of weeks.

“I’ve never been on a team with anywhere close to this big a lead,” Ellis said. “You’d rather do it sooner than later, but the main thing is you’ve got to keep your edge somehow. You want to play good baseball.”

So, yeah, this does have to change pretty soon or October isn't going to be nearly as raucous around Dodger Stadium as fans were envisioning back in August. Presumably, it will pick up when the name-brand players grab their gloves and bats and finally leave the dugout.

If they’re not getting it done by then, you won’t be the only person wondering what happened.

PHOENIX -- Yasiel Puig is back.

Matt Kemp is back, sort of.

Carl Crawford might be back soon. Hanley Ramirez could be days away. Andre Ethier could be right on Ramirez's heels.

But the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking far from healthy as they try to close out the NL West. Kemp pinch hit in the ninth inning -- the only duty he is yet cleared for -- and struck out to end the game in the Dodgers' 2-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

That kept the Dodgers' magic number stuck on 4. It was the team's ninth loss in the past 12 games and fourth loss in a row.

The Dodgers have taken beatings from two hitters in the NL West above all others: San Francisco’s Hunter Pence and the Diamondbacks’ Paul Goldschmidt.

Of course, it’s a bit more excusable in Goldschmidt’s case, since he’s a bona-fide MVP candidate. Goldschmidt hit a two-run home run about 420 feet to center field in the first inning to get Hyun-Jin Ryu’s night started poorly.

After that, Ryu -- as he normally does -- stabilized. In fact, he did more than that, pitching seven scoreless innings after that, retiring 19 straight batters and allowing just one more baserunner the rest of the night.

Ryu had lost three of his past four starts going into Monday, but three of those qualify as quality starts, so it has been more a reflection of diminishing run support.

Arizona starter Trevor Cahill was cruising right along until he walked Ryu leading off the sixth inning. That sent his outing cascading, and he was out of the game four batters later. Cahill gave up a double to deep center field to Nick Punto and walked Mark Ellis on four pitches.

Adrian Gonzalez hit a fly ball to medium-deep left field, but with Ryu running, third-base coach Tim Wallach didn’t take a chance. That proved wise because Cahill walked Puig to force in a run.

The Dodgers have been struggling in the clutch lately -- as they did the last time they were depleted by injuries -- and reliever Josh Collmenter got Cahill out of the jam by striking out A.J. Ellis and shattering Skip Schumaker’s bat for a groundout.

It’s still worth noting: Of all Puig’s exploits this season, the most surprising might be his willingness to draw a walk. He left spring training without a single walk, but he has 32 walks in 92 games for the Dodgers.

PHOENIX -- Matt Kemp is back, but how much will he be able to do?

Kemp's name was listed among the Dodgers reserves for Monday's game and, after watching his pregame workout, the team activated him. Manager Don Mattingly said he would be limited early on to pinch-hitting duties. Should he get on base, the Dodgers would need a pinch runner.

Kemp took batting practice and launched a ball over the high yellow line 407 feet from home plate at Chase Field, but hitting is not the issue.

Mattingly said Kemp looked "tentative" running the bases before the game, sparking the debate about whether to activate him or give him a few more simulated games to get the at-bats to prepare for the rest of the season. Kemp's injured ankle has healed, but his right hamstring tightened up again during his rehab.

"Honestly, if I have any more setbacks, my season might be over with, and I don't want that to happen, so we're being a little cautious with it," Kemp said. "I feel like I can play right now."

The Dodgers could particularly use Kemp now with Andre Ethier dealing with an ankle injury that figures to keep him out at least another week and Carl Crawford sporadically available due to a tight back.

Kemp has missed 86 games with ankle, shoulder and hamstring ailments.

"This season has been tough. It's been something of a nightmare," Kemp said. "Once one thing gets better, then it's another thing. It's been a bunch of things going on and I haven't been healthy. Honestly, I feel like I can help this team."

Here are lineups for Monday's game, with the Dodgers looking to lop off two games from their magic number of four:

Los Angeles

1. Nick Punto SS
2. Mark Ellis 2B
3. Adrian Gonzalez 1B
4. Yasiel Puig RF
5. A.J. Ellis C
6. Skip Schumaker CF
7. Juan Uribe 3B
8. Nick Buss LF
9. Hyun-Jin Ryu

Arizona Diamondbacks

1. A.J. Pollock CF
2. Willie Bloomquist LF
3. Paul Goldschmidt 1B
4. Martin Prado 3B
5. Aaron Hill 2B
6. Gerardo Parra RF
7. Chris Owings SS
8. Tuffy Gosewisch C
9. Trevor Cahill RHP

PHOENIX -- Had things gone differently, the Dodgers could have been spraying champagne and other eye-stinging liquids on their fans on Sunday afternoon. What a perfect moment to cap a magical season that would have been.

It seemed headed in that direction when the Dodgers won the first two games against the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks to start the homestand. Then things got a little squirrelly.

They couldn’t handle Patrick Corbin in the finale of that series, Arizona bought a little time and the Dodgers suddenly needed six of seven events to go their way in order to clinch Sunday.

It wasn’t even close. The Dodgers lost four of five games, Hunter Pence proudly delaying their clinching party with a monster five-home run weekend at Dodger Stadium.

But the real issue is injuries, exactly what made the first three months of this Dodgers series a blur of disappointment. First, Hanley Ramirez started feeling tightness in his hamstring and, after doctors took a look, they discovered a nerve is irritating his back. Then came Andre Ethier, limping off on a sprained ankle. Carl Crawford felt tightness in his back. Yasiel Puig has been dealing with some hip soreness.

In other words, the Dodgers will be trying to clinch with a rag-tag crew, most likely, this week.

SCORING

Juan Uribe had a nice week on Monday.

He hit three home runs that day, four for the week and he nearly hit one out Sunday, but the ball clanged off the top of the wall (and had to be reviewed by the umpires), resulting in a triple.

Overall, Uribe batted .348 with a 1.332 OPS.

But an interesting thing happened in Sunday’s game, one that could hint at other managers’ strategy for playoff games. The San Francisco Giants intentionally walked Adrian Gonzalez to get to Uribe with first base open. Uribe struck out against Santiago Casilla. At this age -- and with how hard he swings -- Uribe often struggles against pitchers who throw 94 mph and up. That could mean Michael Young has a role on the post-season roster given his short swing and success against good fastball pitchers.

Hanley Ramirez was hot again before he had to take himself out of a game with a strained hamstring that later was determined to being caused by irritation in a nerve in his back. Adrian Gonzalez continues to be one of baseball’s great clutch hitters. He had eight RBIs, putting him at the precipice of 100 yet again.
And, still, it was a mediocre week for the hitters, who scored an average of 3.57 runs per game.

Grade: C

DEFENSE

There was some chatter in the past two weeks that the Dodgers’ hottest pitcher, Ricky Nolasco, should be considered as the No. 2 starter behind Clayton Kershaw in the playoffs. Nonsense.

Even before Nolasco got knocked around by the Giants Saturday, this plan made no sense. For one thing, would you make the call based on Nolasco’s good two months or on Greinke’s outstanding career, including a Cy Young award, and the fact you agreed to pay him $147 million to be exactly that -- the No. 2 starter behind Kershaw.

You could make a case that Nolasco should move ahead of Hyun-Jin Ryu, but that determination will be made based on the opponent the Dodgers play. The Pittsburgh Pirates lead the National League with a .742 OPS against lefties. The St. Louis Cardinals are 13th with a .667.

Prediction: If the Dodgers face Pittsburgh, Nolasco will pitch Game 3. If they face St. Louis, Ryu will pitch.

Overall, it was a bad week for Dodgers pitchers, who allowed an average of 5.29 runs per game, but that was wildly skewed by the 19 runs San Francisco scored Saturday -- against several pitchers who won’t even be on the post-season roster.

Greinke allowed one run in six innings against the Giants Thursday and Kershaw was fine, though he blamed himself for giving up a lead in the seventh inning.

Grade: C-

DECISION-MAKING

Don Mattingly is beginning to treat questions about injuries as an NFL or major-college football coach would. He provides the fewest possible details and the vaguest possible timetables.

Regardless of his public stance, how he handles this rash of injuries could have a major impact on the Dodgers’ chances next month. By all indications, he’s going to give Ramirez, Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier all the time they need. Bravo. Why chase homefield advantage when there’s no evidence it makes any difference where these games are played? Since the current playoff formats were instituted, the ALDS and ALCS both are exactly 50-50 between home and road teams.

Grade: B

CHEMISTRY TEST

The man who said the Dodgers “can’t buy chemistry,” before spring training -- first baseman Brandon Belt -- went 6-for-13 with a home run and six RBIs in the series at Dodger Stadium over the weekend. So, he’s got that going for him. Living well might be the best revenge, so the Dodgers can just leave that one alone.

There are a lot of different personalities in the Dodgers clubhouse. Last week, Mattingly called Michael Young the “anti-Brian Wilson,” because of his quiet, attention-shy demeanor. Who would the “anti-Yasiel Puig,” be?

Probably Mark Ellis, who said this in an interview with ESPNLosAngeles.com two months ago: "Nobody would watch baseball if everybody was like me. You need guys like [Puig] that are entertaining."

Either way, the key is tolerance. And, so far, little evidence has emerged that personality conflicts are disrupting the team’s ability to function at a high level.

Grade: B

STATE OF CONTENTION

This week couldn’t be simpler. The Dodgers will be NL West champs for the first time in four years if they win two games in these next four in Arizona.
If they do, we can just wait to find out who they play and where they’ll play in the playoffs. No use getting too worked up.

If they lose three of four or worse, they’ll have to take the party to San Diego or San Francisco, but the champagne won’t taste any less bubbly in the cooler climate.

Grade: A-

LOS ANGELES -- Maybe it was because he had watched the other team score 19 runs the night before, then had to be back in his office early in the morning for the day game, but Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly seemed uncharacteristically impatient answering questions Sunday.

He didn’t want to speculate on how long Yasiel Puig would be out.

He didn’t have an answer for why Paco Rodriguez has finally hit a rough patch in his strong rookie season.

He had no interest in discussing the Dodgers’ postseason plans, which suddenly doesn’t seem like such a pressing topic anyway.

So, if you’re wondering whether this latest batch of injuries is a major concern or more of a passing headache going into October, and you took your cue from the manager, you’d probably lean toward the former. If you went by the scoreboard, you’d probably lean toward the former, too.

The Dodgers have lost eight of their past 11 games as they stumble toward the finish line of clinching the NL West, depleted more and more by the day.

“This time of year, it’s tough to win games,” Mattingly said after the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants Sunday. “It’s like anything else, we had a bunch of guys out early in the year and we had trouble winning games.”

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LOS ANGELES -- For the first time in nearly three months, the Los Angeles Dodgers have hit some serious turbulence, and it’s no surprise it has coincided with a series of injuries.

The Dodgers got no closer to clinching the NL West with a 4-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, their eighth loss in the past 11 games. The Arizona Diamondbacks won, so the earliest the Dodgers can clinch is Tuesday at Chase Field in Phoenix.

Yasiel Puig, who was the latest Dodgers outfielder to go down with an injury, pinch hit in the ninth inning and swung at the first pitch from Sergio Romo, grounding out to shortstop.

Due to injuries, the Dodgers had an outfield of Jerry Hairston Jr., Skip Schumaker and Nick Buss on Sunday. Remember those stories about how difficult it would be to accommodate four star outfielders when Matt Kemp gets healthy? Now, the Dodgers are desperate to get Kemp back.

Brett Pill, the pride of San Dimas, Calif., hit the decisive home run off Paco Rodriguez in the eighth inning.

Perhaps this offseason Hunter Pence can celebrate that he kept the Dodgers from clinching right in the Giants’ faces. He had quite a series, mashing five home runs and driving in 12 runs. It wouldn’t have hurt for the Dodgers to make better pitches to him. Edinson Volquez grooved one that Pence sent screaming over the left-field fence in the sixth inning, a two-run shot that tied the game at 3-all.

The last Giants hitter to have five home runs and 12 RBIs in one series was Mel Ott. That was 84 years ago.

The Dodgers didn’t do much against Ryan Vogelsong, but he made the mistake of having to pitch to the wrong man in the wrong situation. Against an injury-riddled lineup, Vogelsong hit Mark Ellis with a pitch to load the bases for Adrian Gonzalez, one of the Dodgers’ best clutch hitters.

Gonzalez pulled a double into the right-field corner to clear the bases.

LOS ANGELES -- Don Mattingly got the daily medical report and then went to fill out his lineup card knowing that four of his top six hitters, by OPS, were not available to play Sunday.

“Today’s one of those days, it doesn’t seem like anybody is available,” Mattingly said.

The latest to join the list of the injured -- Yasiel Puig -- was out with soreness in his left hip. The Dodgers’ other dangerous right-handed hitter, Hanley Ramirez, is out at least a few more games with nerve irritation in his back and outfielders Carl Crawford (back) and Andre Ethier (ankle) also were unavailable.

On the other hand, Mattingly and the Dodgers still have more than two weeks to get everyone healthy and playing together for a playoff push. In fact, Matt Kemp (ankle) could return from the disabled list Monday or Tuesday in Arizona.

“I’m pretty confident these guys are getting healthy and we’ll get everyone back in there,” Mattingly said.

So, in other words, better now than two weeks from now.

Here are the lineups for Sunday’s game, with the Dodgers hoping to reduce their magic number of four and set up a possible clinching game Monday in Arizona:

San Francisco

1. Gregor Blanco CF
2. Marco Scutaro 2B
3. Brandon Belt 1B
4. Hunter Pence RF
5. Pablo Sandoval 3B
6. Hector Sanchez C
7. Brandon Crawford SS
8. Juan Perez LF
9. Ryan Vogelsong RHP

Dodgers

1. Dee Gordon SS
2. Mark Ellis 2B
3. Adrian Gonzalez 1B
4. Juan Uribe 3B
5. Skip Schumaker CF
6. Jerry Hairston Jr. LF
7. A.J. Ellis C
8. Nick Buss RF
9. Edinson Volquez RHP

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly has a lot to worry about lately.

Ricky Nolasco? He’s at the bottom of the list.

Nolasco had his worst outing since he was traded to the Dodgers in early July, lasting 1 ⅓ innings Saturday night before he was lifted in the 19-3 victory by the San Francisco Giants, the most runs ever scored in the 51-year history of Dodger Stadium.

Nolasco, who had surrendered a combined five earned runs in his previous five starts, was pegged for five against the Giants.

“If he was a younger kid or something, I’d be worried about him a little more,” Mattingly said of Nolasco. "But he’s been around long enough to suck one of these up and know next time out’s a totally different thing.”

Before allowing the first seven San Francisco batters to reach base safely, Nolasco said he felt great warming up.

“That’s the funny thing about this game,” he said.

He managed to limit the Giants to three runs in the first inning, but the wheels came off again in the second. With one out, five more batters reach base consecutively before Mattingly had seen enough. Five relievers combined to finish out the game, combining for 12 earned runs along the way.

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LOS ANGELES -- Another day, another series of body blows to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Brandon Belt, Hunter Pence, Tim Lincecum and the rest of the San Francisco Giants treated the hosts like a punching bag Saturday night in their 19-3 victory, scoring more runs than any team in the 51-year history of Dodger Stadium.

If it could get any worse, the Dodgers also watched another key player leave early because of an apparent injury.

Yasiel Puig was lifted for a defensive replacement in the top of the sixth, a half-inning after he was drilled up high by a pitch from Lincecum, and one inning after he made a diving catch in shallow center field that left him grimacing.

Whether Puig left early because of injury or the one-sided score, the Dodgers are suddenly looking quite thin at the top of their lineup with their magic number to clinch the National League West still stuck at four.

Hanley Ramirez left Thursday’s series opener against the Giants with tightness in his hamstring, which was later connected to an irritated nerve in his back. Andre Ethier limped off the field during Friday’s loss with pain in his left ankle. Matt Kemp, the team’s No. 3 hitter to open the season, is still trying to work his way back from an ankle injury.

Now it’s Puig who could be looking for a place to sit in the crowded trainer’s room.

He robbed Buster Posey of at least one RBI with a bases-loaded diving catch in the fifth inning, only to see the next batter, Pence, hit a grand slam to stretch the lead to 12-1. He appeared to be in pain as he returned to his position, but stepped to the plate in the bottom half of the inning after Alex Castellanos homered off Lincecum.

Puig, who raised his fists after delivering his only base hit in Friday’s loss -- a single to left field -- took the first pitch from Lincecum in the upper-body area. He stayed in the game and scored on a single by Adrian Gonzalez, but was replaced by Skip Schumaker in the top of the sixth.

Even if Puig isn’t as banged up as it appeared, the Dodgers must feel like they’ve been delivered a series of uppercuts by the Giants, who handed them their third double-digit loss of the season and first since June 28.

Pence drove in a career-high seven runs, giving him three home runs and nine RBIs in the series, which concludes with a 1:10 p.m. (PT) start Sunday. Belt had five hits and six RBIs and reached base safely in all six trips to the plate, including a two-run homer in the seventh inning. Lincecum even had two hits for San Francisco.

The Dodgers remain in the driver’s seat for their first playoff berth in four years. But at this rate they might have to rush some players back from injury, a scenario they’re hoping to avoid.

LOS ANGELES -- As the Los Angeles Dodgers march toward their first postseason berth in four years, the hitch in their gait is getting more noticeable by the day.

Andre Ethier is the latest starter to hobble off the field, grimacing as he legged out a double in the eighth inning of a 4-2 loss Friday night against the visiting San Francisco Giants.

Afterward, the left ankle injury was downplayed by both Ethier and manager Don Mattingly, but the stress of trying to lock up the National League West seems to be building with each setback.

“I’d really like to have that peace of mind that we clinched,” said Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who couldn’t hold a 2-0 lead against the Giants and dropped to 14-9 on the season. “Anything can happen.”

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LOS ANGELES -- Well, that sure didn't follow tradition.

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw had just been staked to a two-run lead when he took the mound to start the seventh inning Friday night against the visiting San Francisco Giants, a team he had dominated in his young career.

Such a margin would normally be enough for the league's ERA leader to put a stamp on a victory -- or at least hand the lead over to the bullpen -- but instead Kershaw surrendered four straight base hits to the Giants, adding up to three runs in the eventual 4-2 victory by San Francisco at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers fell to 6-6 this month, as many losses as they experienced through all of August and one more than July.

Time for a closed door meeting? Hardly.

The Dodgers played without starting shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who was diagnosed with an irritated nerve in his back and won't return until next week, started the game without first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who was given the night off until pinch hitting in the seventh inning, and saw center fielder Andre Ethier limp off the field after doubling with two out in the eighth.

That left Nick Punto starting at shortstop, Michael Young at first base and Juan Uribe batting cleanup for the first time in more than three years.

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LOS ANGELES -- Andre Ethier became the latest member of the Los Angeles Dodgers to limp off the field.

Ethier pulled up gimpy Friday night after a two-out double in the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants. He limped off the field during a pitching change and was replaced by pinch runner Dee Gordon. Jerry Hairston Jr. took over in right field and Yasiel Puig moved to center.

The Dodgers, who came into the game with a magic number of five to clinch the National League West, learned earlier in the evening that starting shortstop Hanley Ramirez will be out until sometime next week because of an irritated nerve in his back that's causing tightness in his left hamstring.

Matt Kemp, the team's most valuable player coming into the season, has been in Arizona attempting to recuperate from an ankle injury that has kept him out since July 21.

LOS ANGELES -- Hanley Ramirez didn’t make an appearance inside the Los Angeles Dodgers clubhouse prior to Friday’s game against the visiting San Francisco Giants. The hot-hitting shortstop was getting an MRI on his bothersome left hamstring, which flared up again Thursday night in the series opener at Dodger Stadium.

The absence of the team’s most productive hitter just two weeks before the end of the regular season would have most playoff-bound managers pacing the hallways, but Don Mattingly didn’t seem overly concerned as he chatted with reporters before the game. One reason is the 12 ½ game lead the Dodgers own in the National League West. Another is what the coaching and training staff has been seeing and hearing from Ramirez in recent weeks.

"What Hanley was telling us [Thursday] night isn’t something we haven’t been hearing,” Mattingly said. “As the game went on he got tightness, so it was like, ‘OK, we’re not going to keep doing this.'"

Ramirez, who missed 28 games earlier this season with a strained left hamstring, departed Thursday’s game in the sixth inning after telling trainers he felt tightness in the same area. The previous inning, he had jogged stiffly to first base after grounding to third.

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It’s nearly the middle of September and Clayton Kershaw has a ridiculous 1.92 ERA. We’ve seen starters put up sub-2.00 ERAs in the last couple of decades -- Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez and Greg Maddux each did it twice -- but the last lefty starter to finish a season with an ERA under 2.00 was John Tudor of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985 (1.93).

Platoon disadvantage
Lefties face a much harder task in attempting to post consistently low ERAs compared to righties. They simply face more batters coming from the opposite side due to the number of right-handed hitters compared to left-handed hitters in the big leagues, making Kershaw’s accomplishments the last several years even more impressive.

This season, Kershaw has faced 834 hitters, and 669 of them have been right-handed (80 percent). By comparison, when Clemens had a 1.87 ERA in 2005 for the Houston Astros, he faced 838 hitters, and 399 were left-handed (48 percent).

Causing trouble with his curve
In addition to leading the majors in ERA, Kershaw is third in MLB in opponent’s batting average at .194, trailing only Miami Marlins rookie Jose Fernandez (.182) and Yu Darvish (.191).

The key pitch in Kershaw’s repertoire is his curveball. Opponents are hitting .084 against it this season, making it the best hook in the National League.

Despite throwing it only 12 percent of the time, more than a third of Kershaw’s 208 strikeouts this season have come on curveballs (71). That’s because he saves it almost exclusively to finish off hitters. Of the 381 curveballs he’s thrown this season, 279 have come in two-strike counts (73 percent).

Roughing up the rivals
Today, Kershaw takes on the San Francisco Giants for the fifth time this season. In the previous four starts, the Los Angeles Dodgers ace is 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA, allowing just 14 hits over 32 innings.

This dominance over his rivals to the north is nothing new. In his career, Kershaw has more wins (11) and a lower ERA (1.32) against the Giants than he does against any other team he has made at least three starts against.

The ERA king
Barring several rough outings down the stretch, Kershaw will become the 25th lefty to win the ERA title in the division era (since 1969), having already done it twice himself in 2011 and 2012.

The last National League pitcher to take home three straight ERA titles was Maddux, from 1993 to 1995. And the last lefty to do it was a man who comes up often when Kershaw is discussed -- Sandy Koufax. The Hall of Famer won the ERA title five straight years from 1962 to 1966.