Kershaw's Pain

Clayton Kershaw’s return was supposed to be a cause for celebration. Couldn’t the injury gods wait 24 hours before raining on our parade?

I guess not.

Back from a month-long bout with left bicep tendinitis, Kershaw took the hill Thursday at Chavez Ravine in search of his second victory of 2018. Kershaw didn’t have his usual wow factor, but the results were still there as the three-time Cy Young winner limited the visiting Phillies to four hits and one earned run over five innings in a no-decision. That run came across on Jorge Alfaro’s RBI single in the second inning … or did it? Replay showed that Maikel Franco never touched home plate, which is necessary for scoring, though for some reason Dodgers manager Dave Roberts chose not to challenge it.

Even as Kershaw put up his usual gaudy numbers—five strikeouts, 42 strikes on 62 pitches—something felt off. No one would ever confuse Kershaw for Aroldis Chapman, but the left-hander’s velocity was noticeably lacking on Thursday. He topped out at 90 mph with most of his fastballs sitting in the 88-89 mph range. That’s well below his career mark of 93.1 mph or even the 92.7 mph he averaged in 2017. Fantasy owners were crossing their fingers it was just rust. If only we were so lucky.



The former NL MVP said his back tightened up during Thursday’s start and now the 30-year-old is headed for an MRI. Kershaw is no stranger to back ailments. He spent several weeks on the DL with back tightness in 2017 and missed nearly half the season with a herniated disc a year earlier. The long-time Dodger doesn’t think his current injury is as serious as the herniated disc that plagued him in 2016, but either way, it would be shocking if Kershaw avoided the disabled list.

Maybe it’s just a slight hiccup and Kershaw will be back in a couple weeks. But what if it’s not? And now that it’s happened three straight years, how can fantasy owners trust Kershaw and his balky back to stay healthy? They say your best ability is availability and the reality is, Kershaw has only made 30 starts once in his last four seasons.

Perhaps we should have seen this coming after Kershaw logged an exhausting 33 innings during last year’s postseason. L.A. is far from buried in an underachieving NL West, but even after winning six of their last nine, the Dodgers still trail the first-place Rockies by four games. The Dodgers’ rotation was already running on fumes with Rich Hill (blister), Kenta Maeda (hip) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (groin) all sidelined. Losing Kershaw for an extended stretch won’t do anything to stop the bleeding.

Better make that a double, bartender, because the Dodgers aren’t drinking alone tonight. The Cardinals might want to drown their sorrows in a cocktail or two after getting some bad news on the Alex Reyes injury front. The 23-year-old has been a big name in the prospect world for some time—he’s currently No. 16 on MLB.com’s top prospect list. Reyes missed all of last year following Tommy John surgery but was brilliant during his minor rehab assignment, compiling 44 strikeouts over 23 shutout innings in starts for Low-A Peoria, High-A Palm Beach, Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis. The hype train grew as Reyes prepared for his long-awaited return Wednesday against Milwaukee. The right-hander limited the Brewers to three hits over four scoreless frames but only lasted 73 pitches, leading some to wonder if Reyes had re-injured his surgically-repaired elbow.

While Reyes blamed “fatigue” for his early exit, the truth was that he actually suffered a strained lat, the same injury that has kept teammate Carlos Martinez on the shelf since early May. The Cardinals wasted no time in placing him on the disabled list and now it appears Reyes could be headed for a lengthy absence. "It's going to be more than a few starts,” said GM Michael Girsch. “We don't have all the information yet so we don't know beyond that how long it's going to be. But it is not a minor injury and we're gathering more information."

None of that sounds promising, though the Cardinals are better equipped than most to handle losing a pitcher of Reyes’ elite caliber. The Cards’ starting rotation has been an embarrassment of riches this year. Michael Wacha hasn’t lost since March while newcomer Jack Flaherty has impressed with a stellar 2.62 ERA over six big league starts. Luring Miles Mikolas back to the United States after a three-year stint in Japan wasn’t the most conventional move, but so far, it’s worked—he’s undefeated through 10 starts. Losing Reyes for any amount of time stings, but at least the Cards won’t be shorthanded for long—Martinez is slated to return Tuesday against Miami.

Even in a sport as cruel and unforgiving as baseball, it doesn’t get much worse than battling an injury only to come back and immediately get hurt again as Reyes and Kershaw have both done in the past two days. That’s brutal with a capital B. But you know what’s really brutal? Forgetting the score with five seconds left in an NBA Finals game. Now THAT is why we can’t have nice things.

AL Quick Hits: The Mariners activated Dee Gordon from the disabled list on Thursday. The speedy second baseman didn’t show any ill effects in his return from a broken toe, legging out a triple in his first at-bat in a win over Texas … Adrian Beltre was also activated on Thursday. The future Hall of Famer registered two hits in his return from a strained hamstring … Sergio Romo will draw the start for Tampa Bay Friday against Seattle. So far the Rays are 2-2 when using Romo as their “opener” … Khris Davis returned from the disabled list Thursday after missing the minimum 10 days with a strained groin. The A’s slugger went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk in a 7-3 victory over the Rays … Daniel Mengden gave up three runs in the ninth Thursday in a win over Tampa Bay, ending his shutout streak at 25 innings. The A’s right-hander has pitched to an elite 1.20 ERA during his four-start winning streak … Mookie Betts remained sidelined Thursday against the Astros. He’s now missed five straight games with a side injury. The Red Sox were also without Dustin Pedroia, who was scratched with a sore right knee. Blake Swihart filled in for Betts in right field with Brock Holt spelling Pedroia at second base … Joe Mauer’s concussion symptoms returned Thursday during an on-field workout. The Twins first baseman was hoping to return this weekend against Cleveland but that seems unlikely after Thursday’s setback … Jose Ramirez homered for the third straight game Thursday in Cleveland’s 9-8 win over Minnesota. That gives Ramirez 18 long balls for the year, putting him in a four-way tie with J.D. Martinez, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout for the major league lead … Shane Bieber celebrated his 23rd birthday by scattering eight hits and four runs over 5 2/3 innings in his major league debut Thursday against Minnesota. The Indians right-hander is MLB.com’s No. 99 prospect … Thursday’s Yankees/Orioles showdown in Baltimore was postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up as part of a single-admission doubleheader on July 9. Sonny Gray and Andrew Cashner had been the scheduled starters … Jeimer Candelario exited Thursday’s game after taking a pitch off his left hand. Luckily his X-rays came back negative and he expects to be back in the Tigers’ lineup Friday against Toronto … Dr. Catherine Roach, the veterinarian who treated Rally Goose after crashing into the scoreboard on Wednesday night, threw out the first pitch Thursday at Comerica Park. And before you ask, the answer is yes—Rally Goose merchandise is already being sold.

NL Quick Hits: Marlins manager Don Mattingly removed Brad Ziegler from the closer role following his meltdown against the Padres on Wednesday night. Mattingly hasn’t named a replacement yet, though Kyle Barraclough (1.48 ERA, 9.99 K/9) would seem to be the odds-on favorite … Yadier Molina is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield on Saturday. He missed most of May with a groin injury … Rhys Hoskins won’t need surgery on his broken jaw. He suffered the injury after fouling a ball off his face earlier this week … Alex Wood had his start pushed back to Sunday due to lingering hamstring cramps. With Wood not available, the Dodgers are planning a “bullpen” game Friday against the Rockies … Yairo Munoz led St. Louis to a come-from-behind win over Pittsburgh with a walk-off three-run homer Thursday at Busch Stadium. Including Thursday, Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez has now blown four of his last five save chances … Jung Ho Kang will begin playing minor league games for High-A Bradenton on Friday. The Pirates third baseman sat out all of last season after a third DUI arrest in his native South Korea prevented him from obtaining a work visa in the United States … Madison Bumgarner (finger) gave up two hits and one run over 4 2/3 innings Thursday in his final rehab start for High-A San Jose. The former World Series MVP is set to make his 2018 debut Tuesday against the Diamondbacks … Javier Baez drew a rare walk Thursday in the Cubs’ 5-1 victory over the Mets. It was his first free pass since April 11 and his first non-intentional walk since April 7.