Dodgers sending ace Kershaw home for tests on sore back

Roberts originally told ESPN.com on Monday that the back issue had been an “off-and-on issue” for Kershaw. Now, maybe the burden is wearing on him literally.

One day after downplaying the lower back discomfort that has bothered Clayton Kershaw for “the past few weeks”, the Dodgers are sending their ace back to Los Angeles to have his back examined. The team’s training staff made the decision after Kershaw’s back continued to bother him following his start on Sunday in Pittsburgh. Though the injury doesn’t sound like anything too serious, it was probably wise to get their ace checked out before it got worse.

Seemingly causing the eventual news of his ailing back to surface, the three-time Cy Young Award victor and former MVP suffered just his second loss of the 2016 regular season on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In 2014, Kershaw fired a no-hitter against the Rockies at home, and he is 17-5 in his career against Colorado with a 3.20 ERA in 31 starts.

“It’s been a few weeks where it’s been in and out and he’s so good, it kind of started barking a little bit, so I think that right now we just want to kind of get some answers”, he said. I think they’re going to do whatever they can to figure out what the problem is. “He’s not pitching here in Milwaukee, so as we looked at his Friday start, to give him a couple days back home makes sense”. Managing 145 strikeouts against a mere nine walks, Kershaw has registered 121 innings of work in all.

That is why Roberts stared straight ahead and did not blink when asked what the team would do Friday if Kershaw is unavailable.