LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw says he accepts the reasons he was given for not starting Game 1 of the National League Division Series.Whether the three-time NL Cy Young Award winner agrees with them may be altogether different.The Los Angeles Dodgers chose to go with Hyun-Jin Ryu in their series opener against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. Kershaw is set to pitch Game 2 on Friday.“I wouldn’t really consider it a gut punch Jason Kipnis Jersey ,” Kershaw said Thursday in his first public comments on the topic.Manager Dave Roberts says he and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt delivered the news via conference call to Kershaw, who has started eight of the Dodgers’ past 10 postseason Game 1s.If Kershaw is miffed, he’s keeping it to himself. Roberts says the vibe between the two of them is “great.” Kershaw can opt out of the final two years of his contract after the World Series.“Obviously, it’s a huge sacrifice for him,” Roberts said. “But to not let it influence his mind or psyche, that doesn’t surprise me.”Calling Kershaw “this generation’s best pitcher,” Roberts reiterated the decision to go with Ryu was that it allows both pitchers to have five days’ rest between starts. If Kershaw had gone first, he would be on four days’ rest, while Ryu would be on six days’ rest for Game 2.“This year I’ve pitched with an extra day a lot more than in years past,” Kershaw said. “I mean, not necessarily by choice, not that I wanted to do it. We have more off days now during the season, so it kind of worked out that way. But I think I probably would have been fine either way.”Kershaw said he asked Roberts why he wasn’t starting and received an answer. However, he declined to share it.“It wasn’t really an agree or disagree type thing Lonnie Chisenhall Jersey , I guess,” he said. “They had their reasons, and I accepted them.”Ryu has posted a better ERA (2.81) in his three career postseason games than Kershaw (4.35) in his 24 playoff games.The South Korean was 7-3 with a 1.97 ERA in the regular season. Fellow lefty Kershaw was 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA and a team-high 155 strikeouts.Ryu had an edge over the final month of the season, posting a 1.88 ERA after overcoming a groin injury. Kershaw had a 3.89 ERA in September.“Hyun-Jin has had a great season and he’s pitched really well for us,” Kershaw said.At 30, Kershaw hasn’t shown the same zip with his fastball this season and he’s been on the disabled list for three consecutive seasons with back issues.“I don’t really need to prove myself to anybody,” Kershaw said. “I want my teammates to want me out there. I think that’s the biggest thing.”If the series goes to a deciding fifth game, Roberts would again have to decide between Ryu and the ace that has been the face of the franchise for years.“It would be one or two of us,” Kershaw said, smiling. “We’ll see.” DENVER (AP) — David Dahl homered for the fourth straight game, and the Colorado Rockies opened a one-game NL West lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday that extended their winning streak to seven.Trevor Story and Gerardo Parra also went deep. Trying for the first division title in team history, Colorado (89-70) closes at home with three games against Washington while the Dodgers finish at San Francisco. The Dodgers are one game ahead of St. Louis for the second NL wild-card berth.Scott Oberg (8-1) pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings, and Wade Davis got his NL-leading 42nd save.Philadelphia (78-81) has lost a season-high eight straight and has gone 15-33 since moving a season-high 15 games over .500 on Aug. 5.Jake Arrieta (10-11) gave up three runs and six hits in six innings. He had a 3.96 ERA, his highest since 2013 http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-larry-doby-jersey , in his first season after agreeing to a $75 million, three-year contract with the Phillies.YANKEES 12, RAYS 1ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — CC Sabathia (9-7) got his 246th win and moved New York closer to hosting next week’s AL wild-card game but may have cost himself a $500,000 bonus.Sabathia was ejected in the sixth inning for hitting Jesus Sucre on a leg in retaliation for Tampa Bay reliever Andrew Kittredge throwing a pitch behind Austin Romine’s neck. Making his final regular-season start, Sabathia raised his season total to 153 innings — two shy of a $500,000 performance bonus in his contract for reaching 155 innings.New York (98-61) moved two games ahead of Oakland for hosting the Oct. 3 wild-card game. The Yankees hold the tiebreaker, which means one more Yankees win or Athletics loss ensures the game would be in the Bronx.Giancarlo Stanton homered twice, raising his total to 37, and Miguel Andujar and Luke Voit also went deep. Jaime Schultz (2-2) was the loser.CUBS 3, PIRATES 0CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester combined with three relievers on a four-hitter, David Bote hit an early two-run triple and Chicago beat Pittsburgh to open a one-game NL Central lead over Milwaukee heading into the final weekend of the season.A day after the Cubs and Brewers assured themselves of no worse than wild-card berths, Lester (18-6) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and allowed three hits and four walks over six innings. He improved to 6-1 with a 1.71 ERA in his last eight starts.Steve Cishek, Carl Edwards Jr. and Jesse Chavez followed Bob Feller Jersey , with Chavez pitching the ninth for his fourth save in five chances with Chicago.Chicago (93-66) hosts St. Louis (87-72) in the final series starting Friday while Milwaukee (92-67) is at home against Detroit. The Cardinals (87-72) trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by one game for the second wild-card berth.METS 4, BRAVES 1NEW YORK (AP) — Julio Teheran looked sharp in his last audition to become part of Atlanta’s playoff rotation, pitching two-hit ball for six innings in the Braves’ loss to New York.The NL East champion Braves didn’t start first baseman Freddie Freeman and center fielder Ender Inciarte, and they were minus injured shortstop Dansby Swanson for the second straight game.Jason Vargas (7-9) tossed seven shutout innings in his best start of the season for the Mets. He helped New York blank the Braves for the second day in a row.Teheran (9-9) allowed one run, struck out five and walked two, exciting with a 1-0 deficit. His final regular-season start came exactly a week before the Braves are set to begin the postseason.ROYALS 2, INDIANS 1, 10 INNINGSKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez slashed a two-out RBI single in the 10th inning to give Kansas City a victory over Cleveland.Neil Ramirez (0-3) retired the first two hitters in the 10th before he walked Aldaberto Mondesi, who stole second and third to reach 30 steals on the season. Alex Gordon also walked before Perez hit Ramirez’s first pitch into left field to score Mondesi for the walk-off win.Mondesi also homered for the Royals (57-102), who are no longer in danger of matching the franchise record of 106 losses, set in 2005.Jason Hammel (4-14) worked a scoreless 10th, following three Kansas City relievers who pitched four scoreless innings.TWINS 9, TIGERS 3MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Willians Astudillo had a career-high four RBIs Satchel Paige Jersey , Tyler Austin added three and Minnesota beat Detroit.Astudillo, playing in his 26th big league game, capped Minnesota’s five-run third inning when his two-out single drove in a pair of runs to give the Twins the lead. He also added a two-run double in the fifth.Minnesota took two of three against Detroit in the final series between the teams this year. The Twins won the season series 12-7.Tigers starter Francisco Liriano (5-12) left after just 2 1/3 innings due to lower back tightness. The former Twin exited with the bases loaded and wound up being charged with four runs.Austin tied the game in the third with a double that scored Joe Mauer and Logan Forsythe. He also plated Forsythe in the fifth inning with a ground-rule double.RANGERS 2, MARINERS 0SEATTLE (AP) — First baseman Ronald Guzman broke a tie with an RBI single in the seventh inning, and Texas snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over Seattle.Guzman hammered reliever Zach Duke’s sinking fastball into the right-center gap, scoring Ryan Rua, who reached base on a one-out double. Guzman scored after right-hander Shawn Armstrong plunked Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the helmet with the bases loaded later in the inning.Ariel Jurado (5-5) threw six innings, giving up just two hits and striking out three to win back-to-back starts against the Mariners in a six-day span.Duke (5-5) gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning after Seattle starter Marco Gonzales held the Rangers scoreless for five innings, giving up two hits and striking out six.