Aug 30, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) reacts after pitching change in the second inning during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports Allan Henry
The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-9 Friday night, a win with major implications on both the NL West race and senior circuit playoff picture as a whole.
However, they did so despite future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw leaving the game in the second inning with a bone spur in his left big toe. It serves as the latest reminder of the biggest advantage that the Phillies will have over their top competition in the NL playoffs — healthy starting pitching.
It was only Kershaw's seventh start of the season, as he didn't take the mound for the Dodgers until July 25 this year after working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. It's unclear if the bone spur will force him to go on the injured list.
“Not a lot of answers right now,” Kershaw said, according to Jack Harris of The Los Angeles Times. “But no matter what I did, I couldn’t really find a way to push off. Maybe it’ll feel better tomorrow. I don’t know.”
If Kershaw does have to go back on the IL, he'll join Tyler Glasnow (elbow tendinitis) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (strained rotator cuff) there. That says nothing of pitchers like Shohei Ohtani (elbow surgery), Tony Gonsolin (Tommy John surgery) and Dustin May (flexor tendon surgery) that haven't pitched all year. It also doesn't mention Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller, both of whom have spent time on the IL this year and been very ineffective when they've pitched.
Right now, the Dodgers' postseason rotation would probably include Jack Flaherty and Gavin Stone at the top. The Phillies would have a clear advantage in that regard assuming Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez make it to the postseason healthy.
Granted, the Dodgers have a pretty incredible top half of their lineup with Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernández. But if the Phillies and Dodgers meet in the postseason, Los Angeles would likely be at a disadvantage in every starting pitching matchup.
Entering play Saturday, the Phillies are tied for the No. 2 seed in the NL with the Milwaukee Brewers, who are also 79-56. The Dodgers are in control of the No. 1 spot at 81-54. The Phillies will need to get one of the top two spots in the NL to earn a first-round bye in the postseason. If it is them and the Dodgers that get the top two seeds, the two teams wouldn't be able to meet until the NLCS.
The Phillies have avoided the Dodgers in the postseason the last two seasons, as LA has been upset in the NLDS each year. If the two teams finally meet this year in the NLCS, the Phillies will have a much better starting rotation. But it's entirely possible that without any certainty in their starting rotation, the Dodgers are once again an early postseason exit. If the Phillies reach the NLCS for the third year in a row, perhaps it will be a rematch with the Diamondbacks, Padres or another team with better starting pitching.
