Baseball sure is a fickle game, isn’t it?
Through his first 16 starts of the 2016 season, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw was creating a whole new meaning to the word “ace”. In just 121 innings of work, the southpaw posted an 11-2 record with a 1.79 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 145 strikeouts and just nine walks allowed.
No, that’s not a typo. And despite being on the disabled list since the end of June, he’s still among the league leaders in all the important pitching categories, including strikeouts:
Clayton Kershaw is tied for seventh in the NL with 145 strikeouts. He hasn't pitched since June 26. Yep. pic.twitter.com/rFWuBSSrzc
— Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) August 8, 2016
Whenever Kershaw took the mound, the Dodgers were basically guaranteed a win. That was helpful because it was awfully tough for Los Angeles to come out on top when he wasn’t pitching. Manager Dave Roberts saw his club post a 14-2 record with his ace in control of things, but they were just 27-34 while anxiously waiting for his turn in the rotation to come around again.
When the Dodgers were forced to put him on the shelf, it was the kind of news that could sink a team. Sure, there were still three months left in the regular season schedule at the time, but he very literally propped them up on his own considering the injuries and lack of production from some of his other rotation mates.
After losing his last start on June 26, the Dodgers were just a half game out of a Wild Card spot, but were struggling to find a groove at 41-36, leaving them eight games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants.
The Giants got off to a hot start, it’s an even year and Kershaw had just gone on the DL – all were valid reasons to think the NL West race was over before the calendar even flipped to July. That’s why they play the game, though. LA’s starting rotation hasn’t gotten a whole lot healthier since then, but the entire roster has done nothing but come together as a group and rise to the occasion.
Prior to their series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies at Chavez Ravine on Monday night, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi quickly put into context what the Dodgers were accomplishing:
#Dodgers are 21-13 since Clayton Kershaw's most recent start — half-game behind #Nats for NL's best record over that span. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 8, 2016
With a 9-4 win on Monday night, we can change this record to 22-13. Considering how awful they were when he wasn’t on the mound prior to landing on the disabled list, saying this is impressive is an incredible understatement.
Almost everyone dismissed any hopes they had of participating in playoff baseball this October, and rightfully so. However, here they are currently 63-49 entering action on Tuesday and in control of the first NL Wild Card spot with a four-game cushion. Oh, and since the Giants have stumbled since returning from the All-Star break, Los Angeles is well within striking distance of first place in the NL West as they stare at just a one-game deficit.
What’s the point of all this? While nobody in the Dodgers organization is happy about Kershaw’s back giving out (probably from carrying the team), it’s ended up being a blessing in disguise. When the southpaw was healthy and dominating once every five days, it was easy for Los Angeles to use that as a crutch while struggling on the other four days.
Since he was around to save them once or twice a week, they didn’t have to think about how they’d figure things out if he wasn’t on the active roster. This back injury – as unfortunate as it’s been for both Kershaw and the Dodgers – forced the organization to succeed without him, which is exactly what’s happened.
Experiencing setbacks along the way doesn’t make it any easier, as the southpaw was recently transferred to the 60-day DL and won’t even be eligible to get activated until August 27. Him playing catch over the weekend is a step in the right direction, but Roberts said LA doesn’t expect to see him on a big-league mound again until sometime in September.
That news became official after the August 1 non-waiver trade deadline, but you better believe it was a huge reason why the front office acquired Rich Hill and Josh Reddick from the Oakland Athletics. At this point, the organization must operate with the thought that getting Kershaw back would be nothing more than gravy.
Los Angeles came into this season with a ton of perceived depth and flexibility on its roster – especially in the starting rotation – and it’s been tested more than ever since pitchers and catchers reported for Spring Training back in February. Not many teams are able to produce positive results when they’re forced to run out 12 different starting pitchers over the course of a season, let alone be in control of a playoff spot, but the Dodgers have.
If they do make it to October, can they make a deep run and potentially reach the World Series without Kershaw on the active roster? Despite his so-so postseason history, the answer is probably not. Its important for him to take whatever time is necessary now to get healthy and hopefully provide a boost of gigantic proportions in September.
Los Angeles has weathered the storm without its ace for the last month and a half, and it looks like they’ll have to continue doing so for another month. If they’re successful and get Kershaw back while still in control of a playoff spot, they could be dangerous.
Why? Well, if there’s anything scarier than facing a good team with a healthy Clayton Kershaw, it’s probably facing a good team with a healthy and rested Clayton Kershaw.
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