The Los Angeles Dodgers must be somewhat relieved that Clayton Kershaw's injury doesn't seem as serious as some people might have feared.
Dr. Brian Kelly confirmed what team doctor Neal ElAttrache had suspected, according to an Associated Press report posted on ESPN. Essentially, he can continue pitching without risking further damage to his right hip, which is apparently sore due to his joint being pinched during his pitching motion.
While any injury is obviously less than ideal, the Dodgers are in a position where they need everything to go right. They are currently one game back in the wild-card race with 15 games left to play.
A postseason bid is absolutely still a possibility at this point, and the Dodgers have plenty of time to pull into a playoff spot, but there are slight problems with their recent performances.
Over their past 10 games, they are just 3-7 and have had problems generating offense all September. The road isn't going to get any easier, either. For nine of the last 15 games, they play the three division leaders.
First, they play three games against the Washington Nationals, followed by three with the Cincinnati Reds. The season will finish with the San Francisco Giants, so the Dodgers will definitely have their work cut out for them.
With this type of challenging schedule, it would be helpful to have Kershaw around. He has electric stuff and is clearly the best pitcher the Los Angeles Dodgers have. Since he does not seem to be in any danger of damaging his hip further, we will probably see him before the year is over.
When there is an important game to be won, Kershaw should be the one on the mound for L.A.
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