Kershaw has no issues in rehab start

Dodgers ace feels fine after throwing three scoreless innings for Rancho Cucamonga.

Two scalpers paced the sidewalk trying to sell minor league baseball tickets. A sign on every will-call window at LoanMart Field, tucked inside a row of mountains in Rancho Cucamonga, read “SOLD OUT.” Inside the small stadium, fans raised their phones and pushed toward the first row along the left-field line.

And there sat Clayton Kershaw, head bowed and staring at the outfield grass as excitement swirled around him. He barely flinched for a few minutes, taking a moment to himself before a much-anticipated rehab start with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the Dodgers’ Class-A affiliate on Saturday night.

The last time Kershaw started a game was June 26 in Pittsburgh, and lowerback discomfort from a herniated disk had sidelined him since. After stretching, warming up and then fidgeting throughout the national anthem, Kershaw used 34 pitches to set down nine hitters from the Modesto Nuts in three innings of work.

He struck out five and gave up one hit that traveled no more than 10 feet. His fastball touched 94 mph. He finished the third inning with a double play, then relocated to the bullpen to get up to an even 50 pitches before wrapping his left arm in ice.

Kershaw said he’s expected to pitch again in four or five days. Where that will be, he added, is still being ironed out.

“It felt good. I was able to, you know, warm up and sit in between innings, stuff that’s kind of bothered me in the

past,” Kershaw said. “It was definitely a good test, kind of pitch in a game-setting again, kind of have a normal game-type situation.”

His own summary of the start included two caveats: It was only “kind of ” a game situation, and he has experienced pain after fully cooling down from throwing.

Kershaw said that if he could sit comfortably Saturday night, he would be confident of where he’s at right now.

There have been false alarms during his rehab process, as he was first placed on the 15-day disabled list at the end of June and then moved to the 60-day disabled list at the start of August.

That came after he threw a simulated game on July 16, which was followed by a setback that saw him not throw again until having a catch at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 7.

The Dodgers are 29-23 since Kershaw’s first missed turn in the rotation, and held a two-game lead over the San Francisco Giants heading into Saturday night.

With Kershaw, Brandon McCarthy, Bud Norris, Scott Kazmir and Rich Hill (Saturday’s starter against the San Diego Padres) all spending time on the disabled list this summer, the rotation has leaned on Kenta Maeda and a combination of Ross Stripling, Brock Stewart and top prospect Julio Urias.

Maeda has made 26 starts, and is 13-8 with a 3.38 earned-run average. Stripling, Stewart and Urias could probably travel from Los Angeles to triple-A Oklahoma City with their eyes closed at this point of the season. When Jose De Leon makes his major league debut Sunday, the Dodgers will have used seven starters in seven days.

Kerhsaw is hopeful he will soon rejoin the mix.

“At this point it’s more of a pitch-count deal, making sure that I can contribute and not just kind of go out there,” Kershaw said. “It helps that it’s September, we have a lot of guys up there in the bullpen. We’re still working the kinks out, but we’ll see.”

He did not specify his next goal in terms of pitch count. He used his full arsenal of pitches against the Nuts and thought his fastball and slider felt normal. His curveball wasn’t as sharp, but Kershaw said he expected that given how long it has been since he had faced live hitters.

It took him three minutes to finish the first, three minutes to finish the second, and five minutes to finish the third.

Then Kershaw’s night was over almost as soon as it started.

It began with him looking down, and ended with everything looking up.

“It was definitely fun to be back out there,” Kershaw said. “It feel good right now, and hopefully it stays that way throughout the night.”