The Dodgers are doing pretty well to start the season but they’d be feeling better about things, I’m sure, if ace Clayton Kershaw was back. He took a step towards that last night in Oklahoma City, making his first rehab start. The results: mixed, depending on how you feel about rehab starts.
One should never judge an established big leaguer’s rehab based on the line score, as they are often simply working on stuff and are ramping back up after a layoff. For his part, Kershaw scattered four hits and two runs over four and a third, striking out six, walking two and giving up a homer. He got better as the game went along and the rust started breaking up.
As for velocity: he was mostly in the high 80s, hitting 90 on only a couple of occasions. That could be worrisome. It could also, again, be a function of rust and the need to ramp-up from a guy who had no spring training to speak of.
The Dodgers will likely give him one more go in Oklahoma City before activating him in mid-April.
