LOS ANGELES -- If all goes right, the Dodgers will get 33 starts from Clayton Kershaw this season -- and, according to first-year manager Dave Roberts, they had better make the best of each one.
"There's just that, I guess, that heightened urgency that it's a must-win," Roberts said. "I think every player and every coach will say every game is a must-win game. And every game is important. But when you have the best pitcher on the planet pitching for you that day, those are games you have to win."
Most players won't admit it but Roberts said he does think playing behind a pitcher of Kershaw's elite status motivates his teammates to be at the top of their game.