Hernández: The Dodgers are asking a lot of Clayton Kershaw because they have no choice

The game was just Clayton KershawIt’s the third of the season.

Dodger manager David Roberts emphasized that point Tuesday night by revisiting his decision to strike out Kershaw in the fifth inning of a promising start against the Philadelphia Phillies.

“It’s about continuing to build so he has a base and a foundation to continue on,” Roberts said. “So now for me it was easy.”

The keywords: right now.

By the time Kershaw makes his next turn in the rotation, the Dodgers may not have the luxury of removing him at the first sign of trouble. By the time they get to the playoffs, they almost certainly won’t be able to handle him as carefully as they would a rookie.

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Even after a billion dollar offseason and the acquisition of the best pitcher that was moved at the trade deadlinethe Dodgers are back to where they normally are this time of year.

They are back to relying on Clayton Kershaw.

They might not like the idea of ​​betting the season on a 36-year-old who has been through a major shoulder operation during the winter, but their situation leaves them no other choice. In the wake of their 6-2 loss to the Phillies in the second game of their three-game series at Dodger Stadium, the lead over the San Diego Padres in the National League West was cut to four games.

Their injury-prone rotation has predictably fallen apart, and Kershaw may have to pitch effectively for the Dodgers to have a realistic chance of winning the World Series. Tyler Glasnow It is Jack Flaherty will lead their team for the remainder of the regular season and beyond, but who do they have behind them? Three starting pitchers will likely be needed in the National League Division Series, four in the following two series.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto He has been sidelined for almost two months with a shoulder injury and is not expected to return until September. Gavin Stone looks as if he was worn out. Walker Buhler aborted his initial attempt to return from his latest elbow reconstruction. Bobby Miller isn’t even in the major leagues. River Ryan has made just three career starts.

What the Dodgers ask of Kershaw could also be affected by the state of the bullpen. Evan Phillips’ loss of form last month left the Dodgers without a closer. Brusdar Graterol’s return from a shoulder injury lasted just eight pitches, as Graterol suffered a serious hamstring strain that is expected to end his season. The bullpen’s dearth of resources was magnified by the starters’ inability to pitch deep into games. Dodgers starters have logged 577⅔ combined innings, fifth-fewest in the NL.

In other words, the next time Kershaw is in the kind of difficult situation he faced in the fifth inning against the Phillies, Roberts may not have a viable arm to replace him. The coach’s only option may be to make him advance.

Six days after the start of a nightmare in San Diego, in which he only lasted 3⅔ innings and looked finished, Kershaw was a new pitcher on Tuesday. His fastball remained in the low 90s, but he controlled the pitch better and threw a greater number of curveballs, which helped him limit the NL’s top team to one run in 4⅔ innings.

“This guy is the greatest competitor I’ve ever met,” Roberts said. “He kind of wished he had a quality ride.”

The Phillies had runners on the corners with one out in the fourth inning, but Kershaw escaped by striking out Alec Bohm and forcing JT Realmuto to ground out. There was more trouble in the fifth inning when Austin Hays doubled and Brandon Marsh was hit by a pitch. Kershaw finished off a nine-pitch at-bat by the persistent Edmundo Sosa with a strikeout, only to give up a single to Kyle Schwarber that put the Phillies ahead, 1-0.

There were two outs, but the Phillies had runners on the corners. Next up was a right-handed All-Star, Trea Turner, who was about to face Kershaw for the third time. Roberts came on for Kershaw and replaced him with Joe Kelly, who had Turner line out to center field. The Phillies opened the game by scoring three runs in the sixth inning.

“You never want to get out of the game, obviously,” said Kershaw, who threw 81 pitches.

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Kershaw, however, did not direct any frustration at Roberts. Instead, he blamed himself for his early exit, mentioning the two batters who reached base after he singled them out on an 0-2 count.

“I just made some dumb mistakes,” Kershaw said. “I just need to figure out how to maintain my pitch count. Obviously my pitch count will continue to increase, but you need to figure out how to get past at least five [innings]six or seven at some point.”

Roberts said of how Kershaw was focused on what he could control: “That’s what I respect.”

That mindset explains why Kershaw has a chance to make a difference when his pitches aren’t as explosive as they used to be. As long as he makes the improvements he wants, the Dodgers have an obligation to explore the limits of this version of Kershaw. They owe it not only to him, but also to the other players. To win, they will need him.

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This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.