It goes without saying that there is absolutely zero love lost between the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks. Face it, after last June’s epic benches-clearing brawl and all of the Pool-gate drama, tension has been is high and fuses short between these two NL West division rivals.

Although the primary instigator of the animosity, Ian Kennedy, has since been traded to the San Diego Padres (yet another division rival), there is little doubt that Dbacks catcher Miguel Montero has taken over this childish role. It was, as you recall, Montero who ordered the intentional plunking of both Yasiel Puig (in the nose) and Zack Greinke (almost in the head), which sparked the historic brawl on June 11.

Although a potentially confrontation now exists whenever these two teams square off against one another, 2013 NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw once again proved why he it the real Face of Major League Baseball when he let his pitching do his talking for him in Wednesday’s spring training opener at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick against the hot-headed Montero.

Kershaw breaks off ‘Public Enemy Number One’ that absolutely freezes Miguel Montero.

Strike three looking.

I’ll let you draw your own conclusion on the subliminal message that Kershaw is sending to Montero here.

Realistically, this had nothing to do with anything and is nothing more that Kershaw (apparently) having changed his follow-through on his curveball, but it was a bit humorous and is the kind of think that tends to send the media into a frenzy.

(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)