SAN FRANCISCO — Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw left with lower back pain before the bottom of the fifth inning of Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Giants at Oracle Park.
As he warmed up to pitch the fifth, Kershaw felt his back tighten after his second-to-last warm-up throw. He then tried to throw another one to test the back, but immediately waved to the Dodgers dugout. He left the game with coach Thomas Albert.
Kershaw said he’ll know more after seeing how he wakes up Friday and after a series of exams. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also said there’s always a level of concern when it comes to Kershaw’s back, but they won’t have much information until Friday.
“It’s a fair amount,” Kershaw said when asked how frustrating it is to deal with more back problems. “I just kind of felt a lock there in the heel. After that, I really couldn’t throw.”
The future Hall of Famer has dealt with back issues throughout his career, landing on the disabled list with a back injury in five of his last seven seasons. Kershaw hasn’t missed less than three weeks in each of those stints on the disabled list. Kershaw missed a month this season with right SI joint inflammation that flared up on a cross-country flight.
While the Dodgers will know more after testing, another stint on the injured list for Kershaw is not out of the question.
“I’m not going to try to get ahead of him too much,” Roberts said. “Obviously any time a pitcher has to come out of a game, there’s some level of concern. Again, given that his back has been a problem at times — we just won’t know more until we get some tests done.
If Kershaw is forced to miss time, it will be another big blow to the Dodgers. When healthy, Kershaw is one of the club’s best pitchers, posting a 2.64 ERA in 15 starts. The Dodgers did not trade for a starting pitcher before the Aug. 2 trade deadline. Instead, they traded away right-hander Mitch White, their best depth piece.
Dustin May, who pitched four innings with Triple-A Oklahoma City during his rehab assignment Wednesday, will need at least one more outing in the Minors before he’s a replacement candidate for starters Kershaw might miss. Ryan Peppiott, who has a 2.76 ERA in four starts this season, is also an option.
Seeing Kershaw leave the game was the only thing that went wrong for the Dodgers during their 7-1 road sweep of the Rockies and Giants. LA has won eight straight against the Giants, sweeping them in a four-game series in San Francisco for the first time since 1977.
The Dodgers’ dominance and Giants’ frustration were on display in the sixth inning when reliever Yarlin Garcia mocked Los Angeles’ celebration after striking out Cody Bellinger and James Outman. After the second strike ended the frame, Garcia pointed to Mookie Betts, who was in the on-deck circle as he walked off the field. Betts made an exception.
“I don’t know. I didn’t do anything. It was all a surprise to me,” said Betts, who scored his 25th of the season to lead the Dodgers in the fourth. “I guess he felt a certain way. I don’t know .You have to ask him.
After the game, Garcia said he meant no disrespect to the Dodgers players and that the Giants were there to compete, too. Garcia also said that Betts is “one of my favorite players.” But Garcia simply pumped up the Dodgers, who were even more fired up after Trea Turner’s homer in the seventh.
“I’m not going to back down at this point,” Betts said. “I’m not going to run away from it. I won’t encourage it, but I won’t run away either.
Over the past month and a half, the Dodgers (72-33) haven’t shied away from any challenges. They are 39 games over .500 and have a 21 1/2 game lead in the NL West over the third-place Giants. Since the All-Star break, the Dodgers are 12-3, the best mark in the Majors.
Although the hitting Kershaw is a hit in the rotation, the Dodgers have been clicking on all cylinders for an extended period of time. It seems like a good time to host the Padres on Friday, the first meeting since San Diego acquired Juan Soto, Josh Bell, Josh Hader and Brandon Drury.
“We’re playing really good baseball,” Roberts said. “We do things to win baseball games. It’s really, really good to see.”
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