There is no kind or gentle way to put it. Despite their exciting 8-6 come-from-behind win over the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night in front of 51,388 at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers suffered their toughest loss of the season.

…and postseason.

On his 42nd pitch of the night and with two outs in the bottom of the second inning, Dodgers ace and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw summoned his manager and trainers to the mound for an obvious injury. Moments later, the 33-year-old Dallas, TX native and Dodgers first-round draft pick in 2006 out of Highland Park High School in University Park, TX, walked off the field – quite possibly for the last time in a Dodgers uniform. A painfully long short time later, it was reported that the three-time Cy Young Award winner, eight-time All-Star, five-time ERA title winner, former Gold Glove winner, and 2014 NL MVP had (again) suffered what was called “forearm discomfort” in his left arm.

“It’s a tough blow, obviously,” Kershaw told reporters after the game. “I felt something in my elbow in the second inning – forearm, elbow, I don’t know what it is – but it’s kind of the same thing I’ve been dealing with, and it got bad enough where I couldn’t keep going tonight.”

“Obviously when Clayton has to come out of a game, it doesn’t bode well,” Dodger manager Dave Roberts said. “What that means, we just don’t know enough right now. Where we are, what’s left in the season, just not too optimistic right now.”

As every Dodger fan on the planet knows, Kershaw is in the final year of his current three-year / $93 million contract with the Dodgers. As such, it has been widely speculated that Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman would not – or at least could not – re-sign both he and recently acquired fellow future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer who, although 37 years old, is quite healthy and having a Cy-Young-worthy season with a combined 15-4 record and combined 2.46 ERA. Scherzer is also currently in the final year of his seven-year / $210 million contract and will undoubtedly draw considerable attention this off-season and is expected to land a huge contract.

“I just wanted to be a part of this team going into October. This team is special. I know we’re going to do something special this year, and I wanted to be a part of that,” Kershaw said. “Chances are it’s not looking great for October. It’s going to be a challenge to even contribute at all.”

Despite their exciting come-from-behind win on Friday night – the result of a grand slam home run by fellow Dodgers newcomer Trea Turner and a clutch pinch-hit two-run home run by Matt Beaty – the Dodgers lost BIG time on Friday with the loss of their staff ace and veteran team leader.

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