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The worst words a Dodger fan—or really, a fan of good pitching—wants to hear is that Clayton Kershaw will be out indefinitely because of an injury.
Unfortunately, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reported this today:
Clayton Kershaw "didn't feel great" on Sunday, Dave Roberts said. He's shut down until his back pain goes away. His return? "Uncertain."
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) July 19, 2016
This isn’t the best news for the Dodgers, as they try to make a run at the division, since they are currently second in the NL West and are 5.5 games back of the Giants. The rotation is thin at the moment and without Kershaw, there’s no telling what will happen if they don’t get rotation help at the deadline.
Though the Dodgers have just gotten Brandon McCarthy back and have Kenta Maeda dealing, it’s not enough to make the playoff push, even in July. The worst case scenario is that the Giants run away with their lead and the Dodgers are left out, even with the Wild Card spots.
It’s obvious that GM Farhan Zaidi will be looking for help in the rotation, but the starting pitching market is also a bit thin after Drew Pomeranz was traded to the Red Sox. The Dodgers might have to give up a lot to get something in return, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they make a run for it.