Much maligned Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is drawing criticism from fans and media members after pulling Clayton Kershaw after 7 perfect innings on Wednesday. Roberts' call to remove Kershaw, the ProBaseballDocs say, was the right decision, and if you want to place blame for the missed shot at history, blame the lockout for the reduced spring training. The Docs detailed earlier this spring how the lockout would lead to a rash of soft-tissue and ligament injuries, a phenomenon we have seen play out in the first week of the 2022 season. Teams only had 3-to-4 weeks of spring training before the season started, well under the ideal 6 weeks pitchers need to be ready. Padres' manager Bob Melvin opened the season by pulling his first 2 starters, Yu Darvish and Sean Manaea, with a no-hitter after 92 and 88 pitches, respectively, drawing similar ire from fans. Kershaw, 34, was dominant in his first start after dealing with elbow inflammation for much of the 2021 campaign, an issue that prematurely ended his season. Since 2016, the 3-time Cy Young winner has spent significant time on the IL in 3 different seasons, and has not gone over 178 innings pitched. Kershaw said himself after the contest he believed that Roberts made the right call: “Blame it on the lockout. Blame it on my not picking up a ball for three months (during the offseason).” He added that he has only thrown 75 pitches in a simulated game and has yet to even go six innings in the lead-up to the season, meaning even at his lightning-quick pace of 80 pitches in 7 innings, he was already pushing his body. Catcher Austin Barnes seconded the sentiment, saying he thought Kershaw was “getting a little tired” and that “later in the season, when he's a little more built up” he could have gone out for the 8th inning. 2 different Dodgers starters – Walker Buehler and Dustin May – have gone through Tommy John surgery in the last few years, and with Kershaw at age 34 and entering the Twilight of his career, Roberst has no reason to risk any major elbow or soft tissue injuries by pushing him in his first start.Kershaw's 7-inning, 80-pitch performance was a blessing in and of itself, excelling with 13 strikeouts and slapping Twins' batters with his slider time and again. Los Angeles will need Kershaw at peak form all season if it wants to win a second championship in three years, and if that means taking away his shot at perfection, that's the kind of decision Roberts is paid to make.