Kershaw increases intensity of rehab program

Slowly but surely, Clayton Kershaw is on his way back to the mound.

The Los Angeles Dodgers ace hasn't pitched since June 26, when he suffered a nagging lower back injury, but he's upping the ante on his workouts.

For the second time in a week, he completed a flat-ground throwing session, increasing his distance from 65 feet on Sunday to 90 feet on Friday, according to ESPN's Doug Padilla.

Manager Dave Roberts didn't delve into the details, though it's expected Kershaw will throw another flat-ground session on Saturday.

Prior to going down with his injury, he was in top form, mimicking his numbers from his 2014 Cy Young and MVP season.

This year, he's 11-2 with a sparkling 1.79 ERA in 121 innings pitched, to go with 145 strikeouts and only nine walks.