{"id":211,"date":"2016-09-04T20:20:06","date_gmt":"2016-09-05T00:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=211"},"modified":"2017-06-20T09:51:41","modified_gmt":"2017-06-20T13:51:41","slug":"clayton-kershaw-returning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2016\/09\/04\/clayton-kershaw-returning\/","title":{"rendered":"Clayton Kershaw Returning for Los Angeles Dodgers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <strong>Los Angeles Dodgers <\/strong>announced today that next weekend\u2019s road series against the <strong>Miami Marlins<\/strong> will feature <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kershcl01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Clayton Kershaw<\/a><\/strong> returning to the mound, according to Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Dave Roberts told me <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ClaytonKersh22\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ClaytonKersh22<\/a> will pitch for the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Dodgers\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Dodgers<\/a> on Friday against the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Marlins\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Marlins<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/alannarizzo\/status\/772493557743570944\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 4, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Clayton Kershaw Returning for Los Angeles Dodgers<\/h2>\n<p>Kershaw, who hasn\u2019t pitched since leaving a game early on June 26, was at risk of having season ending surgery due to a herniated disc in his back. The Dodgers took this with caution and eventually placed Kershaw on the 60-day disabled,\u00a0after he experienced a <a href=\"http:\/\/m.mlb.com\/news\/article\/190499638\/clayton-kershaw-has-setback-with-back-injury\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">setback in his\u00a0recovery in late July<\/a>, leaving the date for his\u00a0return in limbo.<\/p>\n<p>Kershaw pitched a strong <a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/dodgers\/la-sp-kershaw-rehab-start-20160903-snap-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">three innings for Class A Rancho Cucamonga<\/a> this past Saturday night, in which he only allowed one hit, and reported\u00a0after the game that he didn&#8217;t experience any pain or discomfort.<\/p>\n<p>The Dodgers, who ironically have played like he never left the team, will look forward to Kershaw&#8217;s to return. The Dodgers have sent 15\u00a0different starting pitchers to the mound in the 2016 season, including <a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?results=deleon008jos,deleon012jos&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jose De Leon<\/a>, who made his MLB debut today. The only other teams that have sent that many pitchers to the mound, are the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/mlb\/news\/dodgers-calling-up-top-pitching-prospect-jose-de-leon-3-things-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and the San Diego Padres<\/a>, \u00a0who are each at the bottom of their division standings.<\/p>\n<h3>Clayton Kershaw\u00a0Returning at Critical Time<\/h3>\n<p>The timing of Clayton Kershaw returning couldn\u2019t be any better for the Dodgers than now. Entering Sunday with a two-game lead in the NL West over the <strong>San Francisco Giants<\/strong>, the Dodgers will face the Giants six more times, along with one more team that is at\u00a0.500, the Miami Marlins.<\/p>\n<p>If Kershaw is indeed fully healed and doesn\u2019t re-injure, the Dodgers will have a healthy ace that has pitched two months worth of starts less than other teams&#8217; aces, giving them a slight edge over other teams in the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>As there are benefits, there are potential risks. The major risk is if Kershaw isn\u2019t as fully healed as the team believes he is, and re-injures himself. With the commitment that the Dodgers have to Kershaw\u2019s future, that can have long term implications for the team. More short term, a Kershaw relapse can possibly throw the Dodgers out of the rhythm they\u2019ve already have been in without him. Regardless, with where the Dodgers are in the race for the NL West, these are risks the Dodgers can afford and have no choice but to take.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin: 10px 0; max-width: 550px;\"><a id=\"ld-294-9705\" href=\"http:\/\/lockerdome.com\/6169841350483521\/8915352855935768\" data-width=\"100%\" data-height=\"auto\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Which of the following was the best moment of the first half:<\/a><span id=\"ld-294-9705-equiv\"> in <a href=\"http:\/\/lockerdome.com\/6169841350483521\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LastWordOnSports&#8217;s Hangs<\/a> on <a href=\"http:\/\/lockerdome.com\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LockerDome<\/a><\/span><script>\/\/ <![CDATA[\n(function(d,s,id,elid) {window.ldInit = window.ldInit || []; ldInit.push(elid);if (d.getElementById(id)) return;var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];js=d.createElement(s); js.id=id;js.async=true;js.src=\"\/\/cdn2.lockerdome.com\/_js\/embed.js\";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}(document, \"script\", \"lockerdome-wjs\", \"ld-294-9705\"));\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><\/div>\n<p>Main Photo:<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/541900350\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 73.569024% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/541900350?et=o_AoINHRR8F0LLiaY4V__A&amp;viewMoreLink=off&amp;sig=YYLXffVglFlczYk3Tn0TyB0t3ygTuhAoxQ2MXoI55Pg=&amp;caption=true\" width=\"594\" height=\"437\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 10px 0; max-width: 550px;\"><a id=\"ld-294-9705\" href=\"http:\/\/lockerdome.com\/6169841350483521\/8915352855935768\" data-width=\"100%\" data-height=\"auto\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Which of the following was the best moment of the first half:<\/a><span id=\"ld-294-9705-equiv\"> in <a href=\"http:\/\/lockerdome.com\/6169841350483521\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LastWordOnSports&#8217;s Hangs<\/a> on <a href=\"http:\/\/lockerdome.com\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LockerDome<\/a><\/span><script>\/\/ <![CDATA[\n(function(d,s,id,elid) {window.ldInit = window.ldInit || []; ldInit.push(elid);if (d.getElementById(id)) return;var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];js=d.createElement(s); js.id=id;js.async=true;js.src=\"\/\/cdn2.lockerdome.com\/_js\/embed.js\";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}(document, \"script\", \"lockerdome-wjs\", \"ld-294-9705\"));\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that next weekend\u2019s road series against the Miami Marlins will feature Clayton Kershaw returning to the mound, according to Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA. Dave Roberts told me @ClaytonKersh22 will pitch for the @Dodgers on Friday against the @Marlins. \u2014 Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) September 4, 2016 Clayton Kershaw Returning [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1675,"featured_media":213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33,35],"tags":[68,97,141,92,71,69,94,91],"class_list":["post-211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dodgers","category-news","tag-baseball","tag-clayton-kershaw","tag-jose-de-leon","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-miami-marlins","tag-mlb","tag-nl-west","tag-san-francisco-giants"],"modified_by":"Ben Kerr","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1675"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}