Dodgers still committed to Yu Darvish despite his rough starts

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw will start on Tuesday against San Francisco, but the team has not determined if Yu Darvish will follow on Wednesday. Darvish would be pitching on regular rest that day, but manager Dave Roberts indicated the team has yet to make a decision.

Roberts did offer this prediction about Darvish, who has struggled in his brief tenure in Los Angeles.

“He’s going to win a couple games in the playoffs,” Roberts said. “I know that.”

In three outings since returning from a minor back injury, Darvish has given up 13 runs in 12 1/3 innings. He continues to tinker with his mechanics. Roberts has praised Darvish for inducing soft contact and grounders, but those balls in play have still led to runs.

“There’s a balance between extra time and getting back in there and pitching,” Roberts said before Sunday’s series finale against the Rockies. “There’s no one right answer. Every player is different. Some pitchers, once they struggled, working through their mechanics, want to get back on the mound and pitch. And some guys might need more time to work through some things.

“Once Yu takes the mound the next time, and after he pitches, we’ll see what the right answer was.”

Roberts has maintained his level of confidence about Darvish, who has a 5.34 earned-run average in six starts as a Dodger.

“We’re still learning each other,” Roberts said. “He’s still happy to be a Dodger. And I know that he still wants to pitch well for us and for his teammates. All he can do is his best.”

The Dodgers will skip Hyun-Jin Ryu during this turn through the rotation. Kenta Maeda will pitch in the series opener on Monday.

Short hops: Roberts expects Adrian Gonzalez to return to action this week against San Francisco. Gonzalez, who has not played since Sept. 5, received a pain-killing epidural injection for a herniated disk. Gonzalez will start at first base at least once during that series, Roberts said.

andy.mccullough@latimes.com

Twitter: @McCulloughTimes