Alex Wood decided he would not be second fiddle on the Los Angeles Dodgers this season. That's a pretty incredible decision to make when considering who that would put him up against - namely, Clayton Kershaw. But this has been the season where a changing of the guard - or at least a temporary competition - has taken a hold of the top of the rotation for the National League West leaders. Again, Wood gained the upper hand with another amazing performance on Wednesday night.
Wood dominates again
Wood faced a tall task on Wednesday - shut down one of the best lineups in baseball, the potent Arizona Diamondbacks lineup.
It did not end up being much of a problem for the Dodgers star, though. He retired the first seven batters he faced and never looked back. The Diamondbacks didn't record a hit until there were two outs in the fourth inning. A double put two runners in scoring position, only for Wood to strike out Brandon Drury to end the threat.
From there, it was smooth sailing. Wood gave up just three hits and two walks, striking out ten batters in the process. He pitched seven innings, refusing to surrender a run to the Diamondbacks. He did all of that while throwing just 85 pitches, a healthy amount for a regular starter. His dominance was exactly what the Dodgers needed in a tight 1-0 win over their division counterpart.
Dodgers in good hands
The victory continues a remarkable season for Wood. So far, he has given up just two home runs this season, despite an uptick in long balls around the MLB. His strikeout rate is a tick above Kershaw's. He has given up one run or less during eight of his last nine starts. The ace is 10-0 with a 1.67 ERA this season, producing his best WAR so far since the 2014 season and steering the Dodgers to nine straight wins; the team hasn't lost in any of his starts since April 26, a start in which he didn't give up a single run before exiting the game.
Yet he will not have his first All-Star berth to show for it after the rosters were released last weekend. Wood can be considered one of the biggest snubs for the NL roster. Meanwhile, his Dodgers teammate - Kershaw - is projected to start in the exhibition next week...or at least he was. He is scheduled to make the team's last start before the break, making him automatically ineligible for the All-Star Game. There's an easy solution, though: substitute Kershaw with Wood and everyone should be satisfied with the final result.