It was a matter of time before Clayton Kershaw missed a few starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers. His current bout of shoulder inflammation led to the Dodgers placing him on the Injured List, with his stint backdated to June 30.
Kershaw has been his typically dominant self when he has been on the mound this year. He has posted a stellar 2.55 ERA and a 1.049 WHiP over his 95.1 innings entering Monday, striking out 105 batters with 24 walks. His place as the Dodgers’ ace is still intact provided that he is healthy.
Los Angeles Dodgers need healthy Clayton Kershaw for championship
While Kershaw’s continued dominance is enough to prove how much the Dodgers need him, other statistics are far more telling. The rest of the rotation has posted a 5.26 ERA this season, due in large part to the continued struggles of Julio Urias, Noah Syndergaard, and Michael Grove. Grove would be taking Kershaw’s slot in the rotation for as long as he would need to be sidelined.
Losing Kershaw for any length of time would also cause issues with the Dodgers bullpen. He is the only one of their starters averaging close to six innings per outing (he falls just two outs shy of that mark). Urias and Tony Gonsolin had combined for all of 6.1 innings on Saturday and Sunday, making Kerhsaw’s ability to provide high quality innings all the more important.
However, as important as Kershaw is to the Dodgers during the regular season, they need him to be healthy down the stretch. Missing a start or two before the All Star Break is the best case scenario as it gives him extra time to get healthy. The Dodgers do have higher goals than just winning in the regular season at this point.
Clayton Kershaw is on the Injured List with a shoulder issue. It is in the Los Angeles Dodgers best interests to give him the time he needs right now.
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