Just when it looked as though nothing could derail the Dodgers’ magical season they hit a small bump in the road on Sunday.
Star left-hander Clayton Kershaw was removed from his start against the Braves after re-injuring his lower back. He believes that the injury occurred while making his warmup throws prior to the start of the second inning. Looking noticeably uncomfortable on the hill, Kershaw saw his velocity dip nearly two MPH in the frame, prompting a visit from the team trainer and manager Dave Roberts.
After that consultation, and a pair of warmup throws, the decision was made to let Kershaw remain in the game and finish the inning. He was pinch-hit for the following frame though as he disappeared into the clubhouse with the training staff.
Kershaw missed 2 ½ months during the 2016 season due to a herniated disc in the same area of his back. While the Dodgers don’t believe that this injury is the same type of problem. Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday, "From what I understand it's more muscular. That sharpness from the herniation is not what he felt today. The scans could prove different. That's all I got on that.".
Roberts already conceded that Kershaw would be heading to the disabled list, but what remains unclear is just how long he’ll be sidelined for. Rather than wait until Monday to undergo further examinations, Kershaw was set to be checked out after the game on Sunday. The results should shed some light on a prognosis and potential timetable for his return.
Kershaw expressed his frustration when asked about it after the game, "I've done countless hours of back maintenance and rehab just trying to stay healthy and felt really, really good up to this point. There's definitely frustration, for sure."
The Dodgers are well-positioned to absorb a loss to their ace, at least in the short-term. They currently own the best record in baseball at 68-31 and own a 10 ½ game lead over the Rockies in the National League West. As long as he’s back and healthy in time for the postseason,
Fantasy owners who invested a first-round pick in Kershaw aren’t as fortunate. He has been one of the top overall pitchers in baseball again this season, compiling a 2.04 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 168/24 K/BB ratio over 141 1/3 innings. Obviously, that type of production can’t be replaced via the waiver wire. All that can be done in the short term is to patchwork the spot together using the best possible matchups.
Another unexpected occurrence happened during Sunday’s game also as All-Star closer Kenley Jansen suffered his first blown save of the season. The right-hander served up a three-run homer to Matt Adams with two outs in the ninth inning that tied the score at 4-4. It was just the third homer that Jansen has allowed this season.
Even with Kershaw’s early exit and Jansen’s meltdown in the ninth inning, the Dodgers still found a way to emerge victorious on Sunday.
They rallied off of Braves’ closer Jim Johnson in the 10th inning, eventually pushing the winning run across on a walk-off RBI single from Logan Forsythe. In doing so, they exhibited tremendous resilience and showed the ability to overcome adversity, traits that will be especially useful come October.
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