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Roberts: Kershaw playoff narrative 'couldn't be further from the truth'

Tom Pennington / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn't want to hear stories that left-hander Clayton Kershaw can't perform in the postseason after Thursday's Game 4 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

Roberts is adamant that the veteran southpaw was not the reason why the Dodgers lost.

"He gave us a chance to win the baseball game," Roberts said, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. "We couldn't put any runs up. That narrative couldn't be further from the truth."

The Dodgers' usually potent offense struggled to find a groove against Braves starter Bryse Wilson or any of the bullpen arms that followed. They mustered only two runs on three hits and four walks in the defeat.

Meanwhile, Kershaw was stellar for much of his outing. He allowed one run over his first five innings of work. The Braves rattled off three consecutive hits to open the sixth, and Roberts went to reliever Brusdar Graterol who allowed three hits - and three runs - of his own in what amounted to a six-run inning.

Roberts chalked it up to rotten luck for the most part.

"They were just finding holes," Roberts said. "It's just kind of baseball and we couldn't find a way to limit damage."

Bad luck or not, critics have labeled Kershaw a playoff choke artist. Over 10 postseasons, he owns an 11-12 record with a 4.31 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 177 1/3 innings.

The Dodgers - and Kershaw - have repeatedly come up short despite lofty expectations. They've won eight consecutive NL West titles but haven't won the World Series since 1988, though they made back-to-back trips to the Fall Classic in 2017 and 2018.

They trail the Braves 3-1 in the NLCS.

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