Los Angeles Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw could miss 4 to 6 weeks
By Tim Haberin
The Los Angeles Dodgers could be without their ace for several weeks. Will Clayton Kershaw’s absence affect their trade deadline strategy?
Just about everything has gone right for the Los Angeles Dodgers recently, but they received a scare yesterday when Clayton Kershaw left his start in the second inning after experiencing lower back tightness. While a trip to the disabled list appeared inevitable, the exact severity of the injury remained unclear.
Today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports provided some clarity, reporting that the left-hander is expected to miss four to six weeks. However, Kershaw will still see another doctor who could offer a different evaluation.
In any case, it seems a good bet the Dodgers will be without their ace for a significant period of time. Kershaw has been his usual dominant self this year, boasting a stellar 15-2 record, 2.04 ERA, 0.884 WHIP and 7.00 K/BB ratio in 141.1 innings. His 205 ERA+ leads all of baseball. If you’re looking for anything to nitpick about in Kershaw’s performance this year, it’s that he’s been somewhat more prone to serving up home runs (1.1 HR/9; career 0.6 HR/9).
By the more conservative end of that four-to-six-week timeline, Kershaw would likely be ready to come back in early September. That would give him ample opportunity to round into form before the postseason.
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While the loss of a pitcher of Kershaw’s caliber would be a death knell for many clubs’ playoff chances, the Dodgers are rather well-suited to getting by without him. Their majors-best 68-31 record has given him a comfortable 10.5-game lead in the NL West, one that should be in no real danger of dissipating by the end of the season.
The Dodgers rotation as a whole has also done a fine job this year, beyond just Kershaw. In fact, their 3.32 ERA as a unit is tops in Major League Baseball. Take out Kershaw, and they would still rank fourth at 3.75. Alex Wood is enjoying a breakout campaign, sporting an 11-1 record, 2.17 ERA, 0.974 WHIP and 3.89 K/BB in 91.1 frames. (Those numbers were even better before a rough outing against the Braves last Friday.) Rich Hill finally seems healthy and it’s showing on the mound: He’s managed a 1.93 ERA over his last six starts.
L.A. can certainly survive would Kershaw, but this is a team that would like to do more than just tread water in his absence. Even before the injury, there were reports the Dodgers were targeting some prominent hurlers on the trade market. In recent days, speculation has been building around Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish in particular.
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Making that kind of splash isn’t a necessity as far as their division title hopes are concerned, but the Dodgers could transform themselves into an even tougher postseason opponent by adding another top starter. With Kershaw out for several weeks, perhaps that motivates them to get something done.