While the Los Angeles Dodgers reached the All-Star break in first place in the National League West, the 2018 season has hardly gone according to plan. That holds particularly true for Clayton Kershaw, who twice has been put on the 10-day disabled list.
The first instance came in early May when he was sidelined by left bicep tendinitis. It explained why the three-time Cy Young Award had been pitching without his usual velocity.
Although the injury removed the Dodgers’ ace from their rotation, Kershaw’s throwing shoulder was said to be in sound condition. He spent just over three weeks on the disabled list but only made one start before injury set in once again.
The second issue was a lower back strain, which Kershaw compared to the injury he suffered last season. That kept the left-hander on the DL for another three weeks.
Rather than send Kershaw out on a rehab assignment, the Dodgers have essentially built him up in Major League games. His 6.2 innings pitched in Sunday’s Freeway Series finale was Kershaw’s longest outing since going seven frames on April 20.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was encouraged by the 30-year-old responding well to being pushed more than he had in recent outings, via SportsNet LA:
“The first at-bat, leadoff double, and it starts to become stressed early. You’ve got Simmons, who is swinging the bat well; Trout, obviously; and then Upton, who is swinging the bat well behind him. Right there you’re trying to minimize damage. I think Clayton is as good as anyone, if not better than everybody (at doing that). Trying to not pitch to the big part of the plate right there got the pitch count up. But you can see Clayton, that’s why he’s the best. After that first inning, bowed his neck, found ways to be efficient and get the pitch count back on track. It was the first time in a while where we stressed him and the pitch count got up there. Honestly, it was a great performance. It was fun to watch. … I thought Clayton really competed well. I think if we look back at where we were a month ago concerning Clayton Kershaw, we couldn’t be more excited.”
Kershaw’s 108 pitches are his second-highest total this season, and that he even reached the seventh inning was a mild surprise itself. David Fletcher opened the game with a double and Kershaw went on to throw 29 pitches in the first inning.
He allowed a wall-scraper of a three-run home run to Jefry Marte that tied the game in the fifth inning but otherwise worked out of multiple jams.
Kershaw’s ability to remain healthy and pitch well will be paramount to the Dodgers’ hopes of winning a sixth consecutive NL West title and ending their World Series drought. If recent trends are any indication, he should have a strong close to the 2018 season.
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