Clayton Kershaw will not return to the Dodgers anytime soon, still feeling discomfort in his back, manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Tuesday before the series opener against the Nationals.
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Dodgers: Ace Clayton Kershaw won’t pitch this week against Washington because of nagging back pain.
Scott Kazmir (8-3) gave up one run and four hits in seven innings, striking out eight. The team scratched Hyun-Jin Ryu from a scheduled start Wednesday because of elbow tendinitis, placing him on the 15-day disabled list along with reliever Casey Fien, who is also suffering from elbow tendinitis.
Chapman throws 105.1 miles per hour • A 105.1 miles per hour pitch from Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman to Baltimore’s J.J. Hardy on Monday matched the fastest pitch since Major League Baseball began tracking those speeds in 2008. The Dodgers thought they might be able to dodge that bullet, but with Kershaw sidelined indefinitely, they’ll have to dive right back in the trade market.
It is also worth mentioning that the veteran southpaw and three-time National League Cy Young Award victor was forced to receive an epidural injection in his lower back before heading to the 15-day disabled list. He hasn’t picked up a ball since Saturday’s 60-pitch session, Roberts said, and won’t again until pain subsides entirely.
“Obviously, when you’re dealing with the back, there’s always some concern, certainly”, Roberts said. He said he is still hopeful Kershaw won’t need surgery. Roberts said the calendar makes Wood’s return to the starting rotation unlikely but hopes the 25-year-old could come out of the bullpen if healthy. Back issues are no joke, and it’s very possible Kershaw deals with his off and on for the rest of his career. “But you’re just hoping in the coming days there is some improvement”.
CARDINALS: Third baseman Jhonny Peralta is going back on the 15-day DL because of a strained ligament in his surgically repaired left thumb.
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“He’s disappointed because he knows how much he can help us”, Roberts said.
