Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw got a second opinion from a hip specialist on Tuesday and was told he could continue to pitch as long as he has no hip pain.
Kershaw has been stellar in the 2012 season after winning the NL Cy Young award last year. But the rest of his season was put in jeapordy after he started to experience hip pain earlier this month.
Dr. Bryan Kelly, one of the premier hip specialists in the country, examined Kershaw on Tuesday and agreed with the initial diagnoses of an impingement on the right hip. This injury causes the joint to pinch while the hip rotates during the pitching motion.
However, Don Mattingly said there is a chance that Kershaw would pitch again this season, and Kershaw will start a throwing program on Tuesday. Dr. Kelly has given the go ahead for Kershaw to continue pitching as long as he doesn't continue to have substantive hip pain.
Even with the Dodgers in the midst of a playoff run, they won't put the long-term health of their young ace in peril and said that Kershaw "would not be allowed to pitch if he continues to have hip pain." The team has also sent his MRI's to other hip specialists around the country to seek their opinions as well.
Kershaw sits at 12-9 after 30 starts with a 2.70 ERA. He is second in the league to R.A. Dickey in both innings pitched and ERA and leads the league with 206 strikeouts.
For more on Dodgers baseball, be sure to read True Blue LA. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.
