Dodgers' Roberts expects Kershaw to hit DL with back tightness
The surging Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a major blow in Sunday's victory over the Atlanta Braves, as manager Dave Roberts said he expects left-hander Clayton Kershaw to land on the disabled list after being removed with lower back tightness in the second inning.
After retiring the side in order in the first, Kershaw appeared to tweak his back in the top of the second, prompting a visit from Roberts and a team trainer. Kershaw would stay in the game, striking out Matt Adams to end the frame, but headed promptly to the clubhouse with a trainer between innings before being lifted for pinch hitter Trayce Thompson with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the second.
"Obviously I'm not optimistic, just because I got taken out of the game," Kershaw told ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. "But at the same time, it's not as bad as it could be."
Kershaw, who carried an MLB-best 2.07 ERA into Sunday's series finale, has dealt with back problems before, missing nearly 10 weeks last season due to a herniated disc he had "no worries or concerns" about heading into 2017. According to Roberts, however, Kershaw didn't have any of the shooting pains down his leg that he experienced last year when his back started acting up.
Kershaw will be examined Monday by team doctor Robert Watkins, added Roberts, noting that the 29-year-old needs to undergo a series of scans.
"A lot of frustration," Kershaw said. "I've done just countless, countless hours of back maintenance and rehab and everything, just trying to stay healthy. I felt really, really good up to this point. So, yeah, there's definitely some frustration."
Entering his start against Atlanta, the three-time Cy Young Award winner had allowed no earned runs in four of his previous five outings, managing 51 strikeouts to just 6 walks while limiting opponents to a .172 average over that span.
"It sucks losing Kersh, I'm telling you," closer Kenley Jansen said. "It sucks losing him. But we just gotta fight as a team. We gotta pick him up. He's picked us up so many times, so it's time for us to pick him up."