Steve Webb
MIAMI, FL — Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw appears to be on track toward re-activation. The 34-year-old ace has been on the shelf since August 5 with a back issue, but has slowly been rebuilding his strength and endurance over the last few weeks. On Saturday in Miami, Clayton threw another sim game early in the day prior to the Dodgers’ second game against the Marlins. And everything appeared to go as planned.
“I’m healthy,” he said after the conclusion of the game. “Back feels good. I’m ready to go.” In the sim game, Kershaw threw about 70 pitches, all to the same to opponents, Trayce Thompson and Hanser Alberto, who volunteered for the duty.
Ever the perfectionist, Kershaw was visibly frustrated with how his stuff was playing this time around. “I would have liked to pitch better,” he said. “But ultimately you just have to do it to get your pitch count up as a starter…. Health and quantity is the most important thing. Obviously, you’d like the quality to be there, too, but sometimes in those situations, it’s hard to replicate.”
When asked whether or not Thursday in the Bronx or possibly Friday back in LA was still the target reactivation date, Kershaw said that that was still the plan, but didn’t want to give anything away because it wasn’t his place to reveal that information.
After pitching a fantastic first half, Kershaw was named All-Star game starter for the first time in his career, and he pitched a scoreless inning at the Mid-Summer Classic at Dodger Stadium, much to the approval of the LA faithful. And truth be told, he deserved the start. His numbers were terrific: he had a 7-2 record and a 2.13 ERA going into the break.
However, it’s been a rougher go since that point. In three starts after the break, he has a 0-1 record with a 5.27 ERA. It may have been that the back was barking a bit under the radar in those starts, or perhaps he was just running out of steam a little after a very strong stretch. Either way, after close to a month, he is eyeing his return. In the same interview, Kersh expressed confidence that he would be able to be back to full strength by October. “I think there is time for five or six starts,” he said. “That should be fine.”
“I’ve felt good for a while now,” the Dodger pitcher continued. “But sometimes you don’t get to choose when you pitch. I’m just trying to listen to what they say and not be too impatient.”
With Kersh’s stuff not quite where he wants it, fans should probably adjust their expectations accordingly. He’s not going to be going seven perfect innings right out of the chute. But if we look at his first couple of starts as “rehab” starts at the big league level, that will be a better way to approach things. Give the guy a couple of outings to get his sea legs and then we’ll see where we’re at.
But if he does come back on Friday night against the Padres, we can guarantee one thing: The Ravine will be rockin’.
