Kershaw Earns 3rd Shutout in May, Could Be Headed for 4th NL Cy Young Award

Following Monday's outing against the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw had thrown as many shutouts (3) in the month of May as the rest of MLB combined, per ESPN Stats & Info. 

Of course, this isn't the only gaudy statistic Kershaw has churned out lately.

Not only is the man undefeated in May (5-0), but he also flaunts a 0.64 ERA with 55 strikeouts compared to only two walks.

For the season, Kershaw boasts a 7-1 record, 1.48 ERA and 19.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Compare this to last season when Kershaw sported a 2-3 record, 4.32 ERA and 4.6 K/BB ratio on May 23.

Remarkably, following that relatively poor start, he went on to finish third in NL Cy Young voting, as he was his usual dominant self for the rest of the season.

Now, a fourth Cy Young Award may be in the cards, even with last year's winner—Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta—off to a dominant start of his own.

Arrieta owns an 8-0 record and 1.29 ERA, but his 63-20 K/BB ratio isn't nearly as impressive as Kershaw's insane 95-5 mark.

Should Kershaw corral a fourth Cy Young, he would tie Greg Maddux and Steve Carlton for the third most in MLB history, behind only Randy Johnson (5) and Roger Clemens (7).