Clayton Kershaw the ace for the Los Angeles Dodgers and one of the favorites to win the Cy Young Award will be placed on the disabled list due to a back injury for the second consecutive season.
Last season, Kershaw missed 2 ½ months due to a herniated disk in his back. On Sunday, the Dodgers pulled Kershaw from the game against Atlanta in the second inning due to tightness in his lower back.
The loss of Kershaw leaves the Dodgers without their best hurler. The Dodgers 68-31 record leads the majors and they are ahead in the National League West by 10 ½ games over the Colorado Rockies.
Currently, Kershaw on the season is 15-2 with an ERA of 2.04. Los Angeles is 19-2 when Kershaw starts including 15-0 over his past 15 starts.
Roberts would not speculate about how severe the injury to Kershaw was or the length of time the southpaw might miss.
Kershaw said he was hurt during warm-ups prior to the start of the second inning after needing only eight pitches to retire the side during the first inning.
Kershaw would only say that he felt something that was not normal in his back during his warmups.
Last season, when Kershaw was injured, Los Angeles was 41-36 and behind the Giants by eight games. During his absence, the Dodgers were 38-24 and took over first place and led by 5 games when he returned.
Last season no surgery was needed and after Kershaw returned he helped lead the team to the NL Championship Series, but they lost to the Chicago Cubs the eventual winners of the World Series.
Kershaw said he was frustrated because he has worked so hard on back rehab and maintenance and trying to remain healthy.
Kershaw opted not to take part in the World Baseball Classic earlier this year saying he owed it to his teammates and organization to stay healthy for the full season.
Roberts said that Kershaw did not experience the shooting pain in his leg that he felt last season, which he added was encouraging, but stressed that what Kershaw means to the club is cause for some pause.
