LOS ANGELES r12; Two things Clayton Kershaw clearly hates: Being on the disabled list and having pitch restrictions while on the mound.
The Los Angeles Dodgersr16; left-hander might be done with both when he takes the mound Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Kershaw will be making his third start since coming off the disabled list for his most recent back injury and has been trending in a positive direction.
What Kershaw would like to see is more of the offense the Dodgers showed in Mondayr17;s series opener Arden Key Jersey , when the club scored 17 runs on 21 hits in an easy victory.
Tasked with slowing that offense at Dodger Stadium, while matching Kershaw pitch for pitch, will be Pirates right-hander Ian Nova.
If Kershaw is almost all the way back on top after an injury, Nova is there already. In four starts since coming off the DL because of a sprained right finger, Nova is 2-0 with a 1.75 ERA.
Kershaw is only this far along in his return from the DL because the Dodgers pulled a last-minute switch on June 23, and had him pitch in New York against the Mets instead of with Triple-A Oklahoma City on a rehab outing.
Kershaw threw 55 pitches against the Mets, giving up two runs on five hits over three innings. On June 28 against the Chicago Cubs, Kershaw was back at it, throwing 68 pitches while giving up one run on four hits over five innings.
A natural progression would have Kershaw at about 80 pitches on Tuesday, but Kershaw has a way of getting more out of himself when the situation requires it.
r0;Ir17;ve proven that Ir17;m healthy,r1; Kershaw told reporters after his most recent start. r0;So now Ethan Pocic Jersey , next time out Ir17;m sure the restriction should hopefully be pretty close to off. (I will) get ready and just try to beat an opponent.r1;
Nova has thrown between 86 and 94 pitches in his four starts since coming off the DL and has given up one or no runs in three of those outings. The one where he did not was on Wednesday at New York. But he did hold the Mets to three runs over six innings, keeping the Pirates close enough to put together a ninth-inning rally for a victory.
That victory was part of a Pirates run where they won four of six games and took series at New York and San Diego. Sure there was a five-game losing streak before that, but going back even further, the Pirates had won four of five.
So even though they were roughed up by the Dodgers on Monday, the Pirates have learned the value of resiliency.
r0;Wer17;re well aware of what we need to improve upon,r1; manager Clint Hurdle said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. r0;Wer17;re well aware of our monthly progress and then some of our monthly challenges. Love the fact that the game brings attention to specific areas, daily, weekly, monthly, and then I love to watch how some guys are able to fight and battle and work through it.r1;
Up next is a challenge against Kershaw Dwayne Harris Jersey , who is 2-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 11 career starts against Pittsburgh. The Pirates are one of two National League teams Kershaw has a losing record against in the regular season, along with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Nova knows his way around the Dodgers, going 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA in two starts, one in each of the previous two seasons.
Quarterback A.J. McCarron is eager for the opportunity to prove himself with the Buffalo Bills after spending the previous four seasons working in Andy Daltonr17;s shadow.
And it makes no difference to McCarron if the Bills add more competition should they select one of the highly regarded quarterback prospects in the first round of the draft next month.
r1;I try not to ever waste any mental thought on it because itr17;s something I canr17;t control,r1; McCarron said Thursday, after arriving at the Bills facility to officially sign his two-year contract.
r1;Therer17;s no reason for me to really put any thought into it just to be honest with you, because it creates mental clutter for my process that I need to be the best player I need to be.r1;
The 27-year-old said her17;s not affected by the perception of Buffalo signing him to hold down the starting job on a short-term basis and allow time for a younger quarterback to develop.
r1;You can either let it affect you in how you go about your work and let that define you. Or you can change everybodyr17;s thought process,r1; McCarron said. r1;My mindset is to change anybody thatr17;s had any doubt.r1;
For now, McCarron and 2017 fifth-round draft pick, Nathan Peterman, are the only quarterbacks on Buffalor17;s roster after the team traded third-year starter Tyrod Taylor to Cleveland last week.
Buffalo is considered among the teams targeting a quarterback in the draft. The Bills have two picks in each of the first three rounds r11; including the 12th and 22nd overall.
McCarron was a two-time national champion at Alabama but appeared in just 11 games in Cincinnati Kwon Alexander Jersey , mostly in mop-up duties. McCarron did start the final three games of the 2015 season and led the Bengals to the playoffs after Dalton broke his thumb.
He was on the verge of leading the Bengals to their first playoff win since the 1990 season before Jeremy Hillr17;s fumble and two penalties allowed Pittsburgh to secure an 18-16 win in the AFC wild-card game.
McCarron is now part of the Billsr17; ongoing roster overhaul in being one of five newcomers to join the team once the NFLr17;s free-agency period opened Wednesday. The others are defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, former Washington pass-rushing specialist Trent Murphy, safety Rafael Bush and linebacker Julian Stanford.
Also on Thursday, the Bills freed up salary cap space by restructuring the contract of veteran offensive guard Richie Incognito.
Lotulelei and Murphy are key additions for the Bills in overhauling a defensive front seven to shore up a unit that ranked 29th against the run and finished tied with the third-fewest sacks at 27.
Lotulelei signed a five-year contract after spending his first five seasons with the Carolina Panthers. The 28-year-old is reunited with Bills coach Sean McDermott, who was the Panthers defensive coordinator before being hired by Buffalo in January 2017.
Lotulelei expects his familiarity with McDermottr17;s defensive philosophy to ease his transition. Her17;s also looking forward to the chance to line up alongside respected veteran Kyle Williams, who signed a one-year contract this week to return for a 13th season.
r1;Kyle Williams, Ir17;ve been a big fan of his,r1; Lotulelei said. r1;Coming here and having the opportunity to learn from him as well as play alongside him will be great.r1;
Murphy was so eager to get to Buffalo, he drove overnight through a snowstorm. He arrived at about 1:30 a.m. in making the 320-mile trip from Columbus, Ohio, where he spent the past 10 weeks working out to strengthen his injured left knee. The fourth-year player missed all of last season after tearing two ligaments during Washingtonr17;s first preseason game.
The injury came after the former second-round draft pick had a career-best nine sacks in 2016. Murphy Lorenzo Carter Jersey , who signed a three-year contract, is motivated to prove he can return to playing at the same level.
r1;I couldnr17;t be more exited to prove everyone here right that Ir17;m who they think I am,r1; he said. r1;Itr17;s just more motivation to grind out the rest of this offseason and get here and get working.r1;
Murphy said he is on track to be fully healthy for the start of the season.
McCarron is getting a fresh start after being nearly traded to Cleveland last season. The deal fell through after the Browns failed to submit the paperwork on time.
And he only became eligible to enter free agency after an independent arbitrator last month ruled McCarronr17;s rookie season counted toward his NFL tenure even though he spent a majority of the year on the non-football injury list because of a sore passing shoulder.
r1;Itr17;s been a little bit of a roller coaster,r1; he said.
r1;We get impatient and you want things fast and easy, but itr17;s not always that way,r1; McCarron said. r1;So I think it just adds another chapter to the story in the end. Itr17;s just part of the process. Itr17;s awesome to be here in this situation now.r1;
