I remember Kershaw saying he would work in the offseason to get his velocity back. Sure looked like he has not achieved that. I watched him last night and for the most part his fastball was around 90-92 mph. Big difference from 95-97 he was at before last year. But it seems like he's learning to be a different pitcher. Spotting his fastball. Mixing his pitches up a lot more. Looked pretty good last night. His slider and curve are still good. And when he missed most times it was low. You can't get hurt there.
Kershaw is no longer the dominant pitcher he used to be. But he can be a solid pitcher if he continues to mix his pitches and hit the spots. Greg Maddux was one of the best pitchers of the 90's and he was not a real hard thrower. You don't always need that great fastball.
Ryu has been good too. He's a 4 pitch pitcher but it seems like a lot more. So many different speeds on the same pitch makes it look like he's got 7 or 8 different pitches. Most times his fastball is around 90 but I've seen him throw an occasional fastball around 93-94 then throw the same pitch at 88. He does a good job keeping hitters off balance.
Dodgers off to a good start just past mid May. They've got some room for error. When they inevitable losing stretch comes, they can withstand it and still be at or near the top of their division before they right the ship. They say the important games are in September but these count just as much. And a good start allows you to stay in the chase all the way through the season.
Oh, and you're welcome PA. We beat the Rays for you.