With the situation of Julio Urias and the numerous injuries at the Los Angeles Dodgers, it is not ideal for them at the dawn of the playoffs.
Moreover, it may not get better, despite Walker Buehler’s likely return to the mound.
Gunner Clayton Kershaw is worried about the state of health, he who only served five innings in his team’s 6-3 loss to the Miami Marlins last night ( Tuesday), allowing two home runs and five walks.
But most worrying was the velocity of his fastball. The veteran’s first pitch was recorded at 88.1 mph and his next, at 88.2 mph. He never threw a shot over 89.9 mph all evening, averaging 88.4 mph by the end of it.
It was the second lowest average of his career at this level, ahead of only his 88.3 mph on May 31, 2018.
And the principal concerned knows that there is something which does not work.
I can’t throw like I did tonight. It’s not good.
It’s actually not good, but it mainly indicates that the 35-year-old is not in top form after his shoulder injury and that explains the drop in velocity and his lack of control.
Kershaw, however, insisted he was fine, so much so that he repeated the phrase “I feel fine” five times in the space of two minutes after the encounter. However, we can doubt it.
For his part, his manager, Dave Roberts, does not believe that a break would help things and he thinks his protege will play until death follows (symbolically).
He will continue until he can’t anymore. If he can, he will.
We may just be seeing that Kershaw is no longer capable of performing. If so, his career could be over sooner than expected, by the end of the season.
And the Dodgers’ campaign could also come to an abrupt end, as they have no other reliable options in the rotation.
