The equipment bag sat in front of Clayton Kershaw’s locker, half-zipped but ready to be tossed aboard a charter flight to Chicago. As the Dodgers prepared Friday to leave home for Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against the Cubs, the players understood the likelihood of another game at Dodger Stadium in 2016 depended on Kershaw’s left arm.
The arithmetic for the Dodgers heading into the weekend is tantalizing and disheartening. The team is two victories away from its first World Series berth since 1988.