Dodgers' Season Flashes Before Their Eyes as Clayton Kershaw Exits Game With Back Injury, LA Wins in Extras

Kershaw Day? Try Sunday, bloody Sunday.

Logan Forsythe hit a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 10th, and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves, 5-4, in extra innings on a day overshadowed by Clayton Kershaw's injury. 

Kershaw stopped the hearts of Dodgers fans across the globe when he bounced a curveball in the dirt in the second inning and immediately reached for his lower back. 

"I felt something different," Kershaw said of the pain he felt in his back. "I'm not optimistic. Hopefully we'll find out more tonight."

After he threw the pitch, it appeared as if Kerhsaw may have pulled something in his back. Trainers immediately came out to the mound, but Kershaw stayed in the game, walking Tyler Flowers and striking out Matt Adams to end the inning.

"They asked me if I was hurting. I said 'yes,' that was the extent of it," Kershaw said of the conversation on the mound. "I kinda knew at that point I was probably coming out. Sitting down and getting cold and going back out wasn't going to be a good thing."

However, after the inning, Kershaw immediately left the dugout and did not return to the game as the Dodgers announced later that he left with "lower back tightness."

"We took him out as a precaution," said Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts after the game. "We won't know more until we get the scans, but we're holding out hope."

That's cause for concern for the Dodgers and their fans as their record breaking season just flashed before their very eyes.

Kershaw missed 10 weeks of the 2016 season with a herniated disk in his back, and never underwent surgery to repair it. 

"I don't want to compare the injuries because there's so many variables," said Kershaw. "I honestly don't even know how to compare it."

If the injury is related to the herniated disk, and Kershaw is forced to miss the same amount of time he did last season, then he would miss the remainder of the regular season.

"There's a lot of frustration," a visibly disappointed Kershaw said following the game. "I've done countless hours of back maintenance and rehab to try and stay healthy, so there's definitely a lot of frustration for sure."

For now, Los Angeles is forced to hold its collective breath as they are cautiously optimistic that the injury isn't serious, but after the game Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Kershaw would head to the 10-day disabled list and undergo further testing on Sunday night.

"It is a DL situation," Roberts confirmed. "We know the standings, we know where we're at, but we need to gather more information. How he feels, with the reports we get, then we'll make a further decision."

Despite Kershaw's absence, the walk-off victory gave the Dodgers their 15^th consecutive victory when Kershaw starts the game. 

After an RBI double by Brandon Phillips gave the Braves the lead in the top of the third inning, Dodgers' catcher Austin Barnes followed with a three-run bomb in the bottom of the fourth that put the Boys in Blue in front, 3-1.

"He has a really good fastball and it was really jumping today," Barnes said of the pitch from Braves' starter Sean Newcomb that he ultimately wrapped around the foul pole for a home run. "I was able to get a hold of one."

Bellinger added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when he belted his NL-leading 27^th home run of the season.

"It was a 3-0 count, so I looked over at Doc and he gave me the green light," Bellinger said of the homer. "I had a good feeling a fastball was coming and he threw it where I could hit."

Bellinger's home run turned out to be vital as closer Kenley Jansen blew his first save of the season when he allowed a three-run home run on the final strike of the game to Matt Adams.

"At the time I was thinking it was just an extra run," Bellinger said of his insurance run before the bottom of the ninth. "You don't usually see that out of Kenley, but it's all good." 

Matt Adam demolishes a three-run home run to deep right-center field, tying the game at 4 in the top of the 9th inning!!! #ChopOn pic.twitter.com/So8eEXCgCE— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) July 23, 2017

Jansen was indifferent after the game. Feeling "sick to his stomach," after the loss of Kershaw, but happy the team won the game. 

"It was a good at-bat by Adams," Jansen said. "He fought it off and he's got power so it ended up over the fence. You can't second guess yourself. My teammates picked me up today."

Prior to the bomb by Adams, Jansen had converted 34 consecutive saves, and had not blown a game since August 26, 2016.

Brandon Morrow got the win with a scoreless 10th inning, and the Dodgers got the game-winning rally started in the bottom of the frame with a leadoff single by Chris Taylor. 

Corey Seager took Taylor's place after a fielder's choice groundout, and advance to third on a hit-and-run play with Justin Turner at the plate. 

"It was a 3-2 hit and run," said Seager. "It worked out really well. Got into first and third and it ended up paying off."

One batter later, Forsythe won it for the Dodgers witn an RBI single up the middle with the Atlanta infield in. It was LA's seventh walk-off victory this season.

"Off a guy like Johnson, he's got a really good sinker and you have to see him on the plate," Forsythe said of his game-winning at-bat against Atlanta closer, and former Dodger Jim Johnson. "I got one to do it with, and luckily enough I got inside of it and hit to the right part of the field."

The Dodgers extended their MLB record to 46 consecutive wins when taking the lead at any point in the game, and are an MLB-best 21-8 during day games this year.

The victory moves the Dodgers 2.5 games ahead of the Houston Astros for the best record in baseball as LA improved to 41-13 at home this season.

With just 27 games left at Dodger Stadium, the Blue Crew guaranteed themselves a winning record at the Ravine in 2017.

Up Next: 

44-year-old Bartolo Colon heads to the mound on Monday opposite Hyun-Jin Ryu who is expected to be activated off the disabled list. First pitch is 7:10PM PST.