Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw is currently the scheduled starter for Friday's game against the Padres, Matthew Moreno of DodgersBlue.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Dustin May was lined up for Friday's start with Kershaw going against the Padres on Saturday, but the Dodgers appear committed to giving May some extra time to rest up. Kershaw was outstanding in his most recent start last Saturday, tossing seven scoreless innings in a win over the Cardinals.

Kershaw (5-1) earned the win Saturday, allowing two hits over seven scoreless innings against St. Louis. He struck out nine and did not walk a batter.

EDGE Analysis

Kershaw has been in vintage form this season, allowing just one earned run over his last 20 innings. The southpaw currently sports a 0.76 WHIP, good for third in the league. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner is an easy lineup lock ahead of his next start, which is tentatively scheduled to be on the road against San Diego.

Kershaw (4-1) earned the win Sunday, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits and one walk over six innings against the Cubs. He struck out six.

EDGE Analysis

The Dodgers found themselves down 2-0 in the bottom of the first after leadoff man Nico Hoerner reached on a fielding error and Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki each tagged Kershaw for singles. However, Kershaw managed to settle down after the inning, retiring 11 of the next 12 batters he faced before Yan Gomes hit a solo home run to start the fifth. With the win, Kershaw entered a five-way tie for first place in wins for the 2023 season and currently ranks sixth in innings pitched. He is expected to take the bump again this weekend versus the Cardinals in Los Angeles.

Kershaw (3-1) earned the win Tuesday, allowing three hits over seven scoreless innings against the Mets. He struck out nine without walking a batter.

EDGE Analysis

The future Hall of Famer had a vintage performance, getting out of jams to start and finish his outing. The southpaw also passed Mickey Lolich for 22nd all time in strikeouts with 2,833. The 35-year-old has impressive career accomplishments and is still performing at a high level. His 0.92 WHIP is 11th in the league through Tuesday's games, and he's giving up just one free pass per start. He tentatively lines up to face the Cubs in his next outing.

Kershaw (2-1) picked up the victory in Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Giants, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out four batters over six innings.

EDGE Analysis

Kershaw got off to shaky start Wednesday, allowing a pair of runs in the first inning and another in the second. The veteran southpaw found his footing thereafter, retiring 12 of the final 14 batters he faced and ending up with the win. Kershaw is no longer striking out batters like he did in his prime, but he's given the Dodgers a steady presence in the rotation by going exactly six innings in all three of his starts and nabbing a pair of victories. He's posted a 3.50 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 17:4 K:BB through 18 frames.

Kershaw took the loss Friday while allowing four runs in six innings on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts against the Diamondbacks.

EDGE Analysis

Kershaw gave up a runs on the first and third, and then allowed two homers in the sixth before that. The southpaw threw 58-of-91 pitches for strikes in a so-so effort Friday against the Diamondbacks. Kershaw will take a 3.75 ERA into a start that's scheduled for next week in San Francisco against the Giants.

Kershaw (1-0) earned the win over Arizona on Saturday, pitching six innings and allowing one run on four hits and no walks while striking out nine batters.

EDGE Analysis

Kershaw ceded the Dodgers' Opening Day starter role to Julio Urias this season, but the veteran doesn't appear to have slipped much despite having taxed his left arm with over 2,500 career regular-season innings. The future Hall of Famer was very sharp Saturday, racking up 13 swinging strikes and 21 called strikes among his 76 total pitches while fanning nine batters in six frames. The only run against Kershaw came on a second-inning home run off the bat of Christian Walker. Kershaw rebounded from a down 2021 performance with a 2.28 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over 126.1 innings last season, and Saturday's effort suggests that he still has the stuff to rank among the league's most effective hurlers.

Kershaw tossed six scoreless innings in an exhibition contest against the Angels on Sunday, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out seven batters.

EDGE Analysis

Kershaw breezed through six frames on just 74 pitches, and he stretched out even further by following the outing with a simulated inning in the bullpen, per David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports. The veteran southpaw got Mike Trout to go down three times on swinging strikes and fanned Shohei Ohtani on another swing-and-miss. Kershaw finished the exhibition slate with a 3.44 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 16:2 K:BB over 18.1 innings. He's scheduled to make his first start of the regular-season April 1 at home against Arizona.

Kershaw will make his first start of the regular season in the Dodgers' third game of the campaign, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Dodgers announced Friday that southpaw Julio Urias will be their Opening Day starter, and manager Dave Roberts prefers to avoid having a lefty start on back-to-back days. That means Dustin May will slot in between Urias and Kershaw, the latter of whom lines up to face fellow veteran southpaw Madison Bumgarner and the Diamondbacks on April 1.

Julio Urias is likely to be named the Dodgers' Opening Day starter, with Kershaw following him in the rotation for the second game of the season, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

EDGE Analysis

For the decade leading into last season, Kershaw and Opening Day went hand-in-hand, as the future Hall of Famer started every season opener in which he wasn't injured from 2011 to 2021. However, Walker Buehler was chosen as the team's first starter last season, and Urias appears to be in line for that honor this year. Nonetheless, Kershaw is coming off an excellent campaign during which he started the All Star game for the first time and finished with a 2.28 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 137:23 K:BB over 126.1 innings. The southpaw is about as much of a guarantee to put up strong ratios as any pitcher in baseball, but injuries have slowed his ability to put up big counting stats late in his career.