LOS ANGELES -- Amidst a rash of starting pitcher injuries, the Dodgers are getting their longtime ace back.
Clayton Kershaw will make his season debut on Saturday at Dodger Stadium against the Angels, manager Dave Roberts said prior to the Dodgers’ 11-1 home loss to the Athletics on Tuesday night. Kershaw, 37, has been on the 60-day injured list after having surgeries to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and a ruptured plantar plate in his left big toe last November.
Kershaw made his fifth and final rehab start on Sunday. He pitched four innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City, with two hits and two runs allowed, two walks and two strikeouts. He threw 57 pitches.
“It's great. It's a big shot in the arm,” Roberts said. “Clayton has worked really hard to get healthy, and the bar is high for him. He doesn't want to just come back to be active. He wants to come back and help us win baseball games and be good. And so I know he's excited to contribute.”
Kershaw’s return comes at an opportune time for the Dodgers. Blake Snell (left shoulder inflammation) and Tyler Glasnow (right shoulder inflammation) are on the 15-day injured list with no set timetable to return, and Roki Sasaki joined them on the IL on Tuesday with a right shoulder impingement.
Dodgers starters have pitched just 192 1/3 innings this season, fewest in MLB. Those struggles continued in the series opener against the Athletics.
Right-hander Landon Knack surrendered seven hits and five runs while lasting just 4 2/3 innings in his second start since being recalled from Triple-A last week. A’s rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson, a Los Angeles native playing his first career game at Dodger Stadium, did most of the damage with a pair of two-run homers off Knack, in the third and fifth innings.
Knack tied his career high with eight strikeouts but got hit hard when A’s batters did connect. His seven hits allowed also matched his career high.
“I mean, obviously not efficient tonight,” Knack said. “Just a lot of deep counts. Obviously [I] wanted to go as far into a game as possible, kind of save the ’pen a little bit.
After the A’s extended the lead to 9-1 against a trio of Dodgers relievers, shortstop Miguel Rojas entered to pitch the ninth for the Dodgers and allowed back-to-back homers to Miguel Andujar and JJ Bleday.
Overall, the Dodgers allowed 18 hits, their second-most in a game this season.
“They were just taking advantage of any mistakes we made,” Knack said. “And just guys were just staying on it. I mean, tip the cap to them. They were swinging it tonight and just took advantage of it.”
Kershaw was at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday and met with a group of seven Make-A-Wish kids, signing autographs and interacting with them before the Dodgers’ series opener against the Athletics.
He went 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in seven starts in an injury-shortened season last year, his 17th in the Majors. He will join Knack, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May in the Dodgers’ rotation.
“Just getting No. 22 back in the rotation is a huge shot in the arm of our ballclub,” Roberts said. “With Clayton just being back, I think it just adds an element of certainty and kind of performance.”
Overall, Kershaw logged a 2.57 ERA in five rehab starts with three affiliates. He pitched 21 innings, allowed 12 hits and six runs, walked five and struck out 16.
Roberts said he was impressed with what he saw in Kershaw’s final outing against Albuquerque on Sunday.
“I think that the command the last time wasn't to his kind of standards or liking, but he still was very efficient,” Roberts said. “Got the swing and miss. … I'm not too concerned about anything outside of getting outs. And that's kind of the message that I told him.”
With the Dodgers’ rotation hurting and struggling to pitch deep into games, anything Kershaw can give them will be welcomed.