Kershaw breezes through 34-pitch rehab start: 'It felt good'

Some day, years from now, a bunch of ex-Modesto Nuts players will proudly be telling their grandkids about the time Clayton Kershaw made them look silly.

It certainly didn't seem like the Los Angeles Dodgers' ace was feeling any lingering effects from the herniated disk in his back that's kept him out of action since late June. Kershaw made his return to game action in a three-inning rehab start for the Dodgers' Single-A affiliate, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, on Saturday and allowed no runs while striking out five on just 34 pitches. The lone hit he allowed - to Modesto catcher Robbie Perkins - traveled about five feet in front of home plate.

Afterwards the 29-year-old continued his rehab with a few simulated innings in the Quakes' bullpen, and reported nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, he seems to be already looking ahead to his next outing.

"It felt good. I was able to, you know, warm up and sit between innings, stuff that’s kind of bothered me in the past," Kershaw told reporters, including Jesse Dougherty of the Los Angeles Times, afterwards. "It was definitely a good test, kind of pitch in a game-setting again, kind of have a normal game-type situation."

There's no question Kershaw would love to return to the division-leading Dodgers, who could use the boost he'd give the rotation down the stretch, as soon as possible. But September's the time of expanded rosters, meaning there's no reason for him to rush anything even if he's feeling good.

"We're still ironing some stuff out," Kershaw said. "At this point, it's more of a pitch count deal, making sure that I can contribute and not just go out there. It helps that it's September. We got a lot of guys in the bullpen. We're still working kinks out, but we'll see."

Back in Los Angeles, the Dodgers weren't ready to detail when Kershaw will return to the club, though manager Dave Roberts hinted that a decision will be made soon.

"We're going to talk about that," Roberts told reporters when asked about how soon his ace could be back. "Clayton has an idea what he wants to do so it'll be a discussion."

Before going on the disabled list Kershaw was on pace for perhaps the best season of his storied career, owning a 1.79 ERA and a career-best 16.11 strikeout-to-walk ratio - just nine bases on balls allowed to 145 strikeouts - in 121 innings pitched.