Kershaw in the Bronx

I got a good look at Clayton Kershaw Monday night in the Dodgers dugout. These are lighthearted moments, snapped on an off-day between starts. This afternnon, he'll be all business when he takes the mound against the Yankees in the rubber game of their interleague series.
It's been a frustrating year for one of baseball's two or three best pitchers. Superb as always -- he carries an 11-3 record with an under-2 ERA into the game -- he's missed considerable time with a herniated disc in his back and was sidelined from late June until recently. He returned to action last Friday but only worked three innings.
Now, with just 2-1/2 weeks left in the season, the NL West-leading Dodgers need their ace if they hope to get past the Cubs, Nationals and maybe the Giants and Mets and reach the World Series for the first time in 28 years.

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