Roberts explains why Ryu is starting Game 1

LOS ANGELES -- Manager Dave Roberts was succinct in summing up the Dodgers' decision to start Hyun Jin Ryu in Thursday's National League Division Series opener against the Braves, pushing Clayton Kershaw back by a day.
"Game 1 is important," Roberts said. "So is Game 2."
That's a pretty simple concept, in theory. Both games count the same, and Kershaw can only start one of them. In practice, it's not quite that easy.
:: NLDS schedule and results ::
Kershaw is one of the best pitchers of his generation, and he's taken the mound for Game 1 of the NLDS in each of the past five years. If the Dodgers are going to open the playoffs by handing the ball to someone else, that decision is going to turn heads -- especially after a down season by Kershaw's lofty standards.
"He obviously wanted to pitch Game 1, and expected to," Roberts said. "But after talking to him and explaining our thoughts, he accepted it, and he just said he'll be ready to go for the second game."
So why Ryu before Kershaw? Roberts hit on two factors:
• Kershaw's been much better this season when he's been given extra time between starts. He owns a 3.21 ERA on four days of rest, compared to a 2.48 mark with five or more days.
• The Dodgers have no plans to start Kershaw on short rest in Game 4 this year. Because there are two scheduled off-days during the Division Series, he could start Game 5 on normal rest anyway.
Of course, the notion that Kershaw would start Game 5 didn't seem like a foregone conclusion. Roberts expressed a reluctance to look that far ahead.
"Everything is going to be on the table at that point in time," Roberts said. "But the only thing that's guaranteed is the first three games. If we get to that point, then we'll have a discussion."

Kershaw posted a 2.73 ERA this season, his highest mark since 2010, and his fastball was down by a couple ticks. In his last regular-season start against the Giants on Saturday, Kershaw allowed five runs over five innings in his worst start of the year. (Of course, he'd reeled off a string of 15 straight quality starts before that.)
Kershaw, who is slated for a Thursday press conference, didn't speak with reporters Wednesday. But Ryu did, and he echoed the club's sentiment when asked about pitching Game 1.
"From this point on, every single game will be important," Ryu said through an interpreter.
Ryu owns a 1.15 ERA in nine home starts this season, another factor in him pitching one of the first two games of the series.

At least publicly, the Braves say there's little upside in facing Kershaw a day later.
"At some point in the series, we know we're going to face him," Atlanta outfielder Nick Markakis said. "Whether it's the first game or the second game, we've still got to go out there and compete."
As for the symbolic nature of Kershaw as a Game 1 starter, Roberts wasn't buying it.
"It's always easy to have Clayton on regular [rest] … because he's Clayton Kershaw, and he's earned it, and he's the best pitcher we have, and he's shown it throughout his entire career," Roberts said. "The more responsible thing is to do what's right for the player and the team.
"It's not always popular, but it's something we thought through a lot. … Regardless of how it plays out, we feel that this gives us the best chance to win the first two games."

Buehler tabbed for Game 3
Roberts announced that rookie right-hander Walker Buehler is slated to start Game 3 on Sunday in Atlanta. Buehler worked 6 2/3 scoreless innings in Monday's NL West tiebreaker game against the Rockies. The Dodgers haven't announced their Game 4 starter, but Rich Hill seems the likeliest candidate, especially with Kershaw unavailable on short rest.
Kemp: 'They grew up really fast'
A year ago, Matt Kemp had a hunch the Braves would be a playoff-caliber club sooner rather than later. The young talent in Atlanta was undeniable. But Kemp certainly didn't envision playing against the Braves in October 2018.
"They grew up really fast, and now they're in the playoffs," Kemp said with a grin.
Kemp was dealt from Atlanta to Los Angeles during the offseason in a crafty deal mostly meant to help both teams' payroll situations.
As it would happen, the trade proved important for both clubs. Charlie Culberson, acquired in the deal, should fill a key role for the Braves with Dansby Swanson out. And Kemp had a comeback year in which he batted .290/.338/.481 and earned his third All-Star selection.
"It was short, but I had a lot of fun," Kemp said of his two years in Atlanta. "I got to play for the team I grew up watching as a kid. It was cool to play for Atlanta, but now I get to play against them, and I'm gonna try to beat them."
Wood recalls '13 NLDS classic
There's only one player in this series who played for the Braves the last time they reached the postseason -- Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood. A rookie at the time, Wood pitched 3 1/3 innings against Los Angeles without allowing an earned run over two relief appearances in the 2013 NLDS.
"We lost, but that was a fun series," Wood said. "As fun as you could have being on the wrong side of it."
The enduring moment from that four-game set was Juan Uribe's go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning of Game 4. Clinging to a one-run lead, the Braves used setup man David Carpenter, rather than calling on Craig Kimbrel (who had just posted arguably his best season).
"We left the best closer in baseball in the bullpen," Wood said. "It's amazing, you look at that now, and it seems so crazy. ... Any time you've got Craig Kimbrel, you probably want to use him. Now, Craig probably would've been pitching in the sixth inning."
There aren't many Dodgers holdovers from that 2013 club, but Kershaw and Ryu made three of the four starts in that NLDS. Kemp missed that series because of a late-season ankle injury, but Yasiel Puig -- in his first taste of the postseason -- broke out, going 8-for-17.