Would they dare risk upsetting their highly competitive pitching star on the eve of the postseason if it would give them the best chance to win?
Would they dare mess with their longtime ace’s status only a month before he could opt out of his contract if they thought everyone involved would benefit from the move?
For the first time in six consecutive Octobers, would they dare begin a postseason without Clayton Kershaw on the mound?
In a sort of typical bold move that has helped the Andrew Friedman-Farhan Zaidi regime engineer National League West Division titles in each of their four seasons here, the Dodgers have announced that Game 1 of the division series against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday at Dodger Stadium will be started by Hyun-Jin Ryu, with Kershaw pitching in Game 2.