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Clayton Kershaw is trending in the right direction, but the Dodgers don’t have a definitive answer.
Clayton Kershaw was supposed to have yet another all-important playoff outing for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night before he was scratched from his start due to back spasms, forcing Tony Gonsolin into action for his postseason debut.
The result? Another loss, but not because of Gonsolin. The Dodgers’ offense once again kept the team in purgatory before the Braves opened up the scoring and took home an 8-7 win, holding off a late LA surge.
Kershaw won’t be pitching Game 3, either. Julio Urias will be the starter. As for Game 4? Well, the Dodgers are optimistic about Kershaw but still cannot provide fans with a definitive answer.
Dave Roberts said Clayton Kershaw is improved and it's likely he starts tomorrow if improvement continues.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) October 14, 2020
The only way anyone is going to feel good is if they see Kershaw physically step on the mound Thursday evening to either help even the series or keep the Dodgers alive if they manage to falter on Wednesday night. “Optimistic” and “likely” are not words anybody really cares about. “Official” is more up everyone’s alley at the moment.
Things are bleak for LA right now, and being without Kershaw for the start of this series has made everything that much worse. On top of that, Walker Buehler has been severely limited (13 innings across three playoff starts) due to his blister issues and laborious outings.
NEWS: Clayton Kershaw (back spasms) remains on track to pitch Game 4 tomorrow, @Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Kershaw is doing “great” physically after yesterday’s aggressive bullpen, Roberts said, adding that Kershaw is in a good frame of mind, as well. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 14, 2020
Positive news updates are certainly better than almost anything else right now, but they’re also not doing the job in terms of propping up Dodgers Nation. Remember, yesterday it was said there was a possibility Kershaw would start Game 3. Then it was he’ll “likely” start Game 4. If there’s no set in stone update 28 hours before first pitch, then there’s without a doubt a reason to be concerned.
This series has been turned upside down by so many unlikely factors and all fans can do is sit and wait. Absolute torture.
Dodgers: Frank Thomas made bizarre comment about Freddie Freeman hit by pitch
The Los Angeles Dodgers nearly staged a comeback against the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the NLCS and Frank Thomas believed it happened for an odd reason.