Dodgers prepare for postseason without Clayton Kershaw

3 years ago 316

LOS ANGELES ― Clayton Kershaw was placed connected the 10-day injured database Saturday, a specified formality aft the left-hander aggravated an wounded that is expected to extremity his 2021 season.

Manager Dave Roberts said the wounded hardly caught him by surprise.

“I deliberation we each knew the anticipation that it could get to this point,” Roberts said. “He was determined to bash everything helium could successful his powerfulness to spot this happening done this twelvemonth to beryllium a portion of it. Unfortunately it gave mode (Friday) night.”

In his last commencement of 2021, Kershaw faced 10 batters against the Milwaukee Brewers connected Friday and could not implicit the 2nd inning earlier succumbing to symptom successful the country of his near elbow/forearm.

Kershaw, 33, volition acquisition tests Monday to find the severity of the injury. The Dodgers said successful July that examinations of Kershaw’s elbow showed nary structural damage. A escaped cause astatine the extremity of the postseason, Kershaw’s aboriginal successful Los Angeles ― if not his vocation successful shot ― is successful doubt.

The onus present falls connected Roberts and the Dodgers’ beforehand bureau to portion unneurotic a roster without a pitcher who has started their archetypal oregon 2nd playoff crippled each twelvemonth since 2013.

Walker Buehler volition commencement the Dodgers’ regular-season finale Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers connected 4 days’ rest. Max Scherzer is lined up to commencement a imaginable Wild Card crippled adjacent Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Should the Dodgers beforehand to play successful the best-of-five National League Division Series, Julio Urías volition commencement a game.

“You tin deploy Julio with what makes the astir consciousness to triumph the astir imaginable games,” Roberts said. “Right present it’s wide he’s going to commencement a playoff crippled for us. (Kershaw’s injury) adds much clarity.”

Tony Gonsolin, the Dodgers’ 5th starter, could besides beryllium successful enactment for a postseason commencement successful Kershaw’s absence, Roberts said, depending successful portion connected the Dodgers’ opponent.

“He’ll beryllium pitching leverage innings,” Roberts said of Gonsolin. “Whether it’s successful a commencement oregon multiples we haven’t decided.”

Kershaw volition decorativeness the 2021 play 10-8 with a 3.55 earned-run average. He pitched 121 2/3 innings crossed 22 starts, striking retired 144 batters. He volition person missed 59 games ― much than one-third of the play ― owed to the forearm injury.

It was questionable whether Kershaw would beryllium capable to recapture immoderate vestige of his highest signifier arsenic the Dodgers attempted to support their World Series title. In 4 September starts aft returning from the injured list, Kershaw pitched 15 1/3 innings portion allowing 9 runs (eight earned) successful 4 starts. The Dodgers won 3 of the 4 games.

It was unquestionable that Kershaw was looking guardant to the accidental to triumph different championship.

“The biggest happening was I conscionable wanted to beryllium a portion of this squad going done October,” helium said aft Friday’s triumph implicit the Milwaukee Brewers. “This squad is special. … You saw what this squad is susceptible of doing and I’ve known that. I cognize that we’re going to bash thing peculiar this twelvemonth and I wanted to beryllium a portion of that.”

Roberts said Saturday that helium was “saddened” by the ending to Kershaw’s season.

“Hoping we ne'er had to get to this point,” the manager said. “Certainly you privation to beryllium precise thoughtful and delicate to Clayton and successful the aforesaid enactment marque definite we enactment focused connected moving forward.”

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Mitch White was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to capable Kershaw’s roster spot. The 26-year-old close hander is 1-3 with a 3.74 ERA successful 20 games with the Dogders this season. This is his 10th abstracted stint successful the majors successful 2021. … Chris Taylor was chosen arsenic the victor of the Dodgers’ yearly Roy Campanella Award, fixed to “the Dodger subordinate who champion exemplifies the tone and enactment of the precocious Hall of Fame catcher.” … Taylor saw clip astatine six positions successful 2021 portion being named to his archetypal All-Star team. He entered Saturday’s crippled with a .254 batting average, 20 location runs and 73 RBIs.