July 4th, 2016 at 6:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka For the first time since being placed on the disabled list on July 1 (retroactive to June 27), Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw met with the media on Saturday afternoon; and make no mistake about it, he is not a happy camper.
The 28-year-old Dallas, Texas native flew back to Los Angeles last Wednesday morning to meet with renowned back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins III while his teammates were taking on the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. On Thursday morning Dodgers manager Dave Roberts broke the news – news that was both bad and good. The bad news is that the former three-time NL Cy Young awards winner and 2014 NL MVP had a mild disc herniation for which he received an epidural and would be out for an undetermined period of time. The good news is that Kershaw will not require surgery which undoubtedly would have taken him out for the season.
“I feel a little better now,” said a visibly upset Kershaw. “It’s still a little early to tell [if the epidural is working]. Usually it takes three to five days and today is the third day. I think I’m starting to get a little relief, I’m pretty sure.”
Kershaw left zero doubt that he is extremely unhappy with his current situation.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)
Among the biggest questions Dodger fans have about their beloved left-hander is when did he first notice the discomfort in his lower back and was it the result of one pitch?
“It’s tough to say. I feel like if you ask anybody in the clubhouse if they have … ‘Oh my lower back is a little stiff today’ so I think everybody kind of goes through that and I didn’t think mine was any different,” Kershaw said. “Maybe I pushed it too far, it’s tough to say. I definitely didn’t do it on like one pitch or anything like that, I think it was probably just a progression.”
Although many speculate that Kershaw’s rough outing a week ago Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park was the result of his back issues, he readily dismissed this notion.
“The DL sucks. There’s no getting around it, it’s awful.” – Clayton Kershaw
“The game Sunday [June 26, against the Pirates], I felt fine,” Kershaw said. “And then Monday it started getting a little worse. It was probably time at that point to get checked out.”
As most fans know, this is only the second time in Kershaw’s eight-year MLB career that he has landed on the DL, the first occurring following the team’s 2014 season opener in Australia when he suffered inflammation of the teres major. Kershaw was out for 39 days, returning on May 6, only to throw a no-hitter on June 18 and go on to win both the 2014 NL Cy Young award and NL MVP award. Does that previous DL experience make this one any easier to deal with?
“No, I’m going to be very impatient and I’m going to try to pitch tomorrow,” Kershaw said, only half kidding.
“The DL sucks. There’s no getting around it, it’s awful,” he added seriously. “It’s worse coming to the field every day. You just feel like whether you do or not, you feel like you’re letting the team down by not pitching. It’s just the way it is and you just gotta kinda get through it.”
When the million-dollar question was asked (or more like the $32 million dollar question) if he had been given a general idea on how long he might be out, Kershaw gave an answer that did little to ease the concerns (or fears) of Dodger fans.
“Not that I’m willing to discuss at this time,” he answered.
Not exactly the answer we wanted to hear, is it?
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When the best pitcher in baseball is on your team and on the DL it’s a bummer, but, nice to see other players stepping up. Good job McCarthy. Ryu getting close?
It’s looking like a very good decision not to sign Greinke. 32 yrs old, $200M contract, 3.62 ERA and now on DL. Good job FAZ. Any bets on how long Stewart is GM in AZ? Miller and Greinke, 10 games under 500, what a disaster.
Dodger pitching stepped up this weekend. Who would have thought that a Dodger pitching rotation of Bud Norris/Scott Kazmir/Brandon McCarthy would shut out the Rox for their 17 IP on the hill, and the team give up two runs in total to one of the best offensive teams in all of MLB (#4 in runs/#5 AVG/#3 OPS). Hopefully this will continue, and Kershaw will not rush to come back until he is healthy.
With respect to the DBacks, they are not very good right now. I felt all along that losing Inciarte would hurt them more than Miller would help, and then losing AJ Pollock was what really hurt. They would have been much better off keeping Inciarte/Swanson/Blair and going with Archie Bradley all year. They would have had Braden Shipley and Aaron Blair at Reno as backups for injuries. And they could have put Collmenter back into the rotation if they needed to (think Frias and Bolsinger). That is what happens when you go for it all and leave the cupboard bare. Interesting to think what might have happened if Cueto had accepted the DBacks offer. AZ would have been able to go after Mike Leake who was offering a discount. Of course, Greinke would still be a Dodger, and the SF would not have their #2. Better prepared teams take all into contingency planning and that is what FAZ did. The Dodgers are in much better shape for the 2nd half run, while the DBacks cannot really become a contender or seller.
Yes, pretty amazing pitching job against Colorado. Now I am pulling for those CO hitters to break out in SF.
That AZ trade was clearly a loser for AZ, from the start. Inciarte hurts and giving up on Swanson so fast is crazy. I wish Stewart would have talked to FAZ before pulling the trigger.
It’ll probably seem longer if the Dodgers aren’t playing well, while Clayton is out. I think the time will go faster if the team is winning. Just a thought.
It’s anyone’s guess at this point, but the big indicator will be when Kershaw picks up a baseball and begins throwing again. Sooner is better than later. Let’s all hope we get the “sooner” end of that spectrum.
Get well soon, Clayton!!
Did Kersh decide that shaving is good physical therapy?
That question was not asked of him, nor will I. ; )
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