Clayton Kershaw dodges scare
— -- MESA, Ariz. -- The Los Angeles Dodgers survived a major scare Friday when ace Clayton Kershaw was struck in the face by a line drive in a spring training game against the Oakland Athletics.
Kershaw collapsed on the mound after Andy Parrino's broken-bat liner struck him. The left-hander sat there for a minute or two as Dodgers trainers and manager Don Mattingly rushed out of the dugout, but after working his jaw a few times and consulting with trainer Stan Conte, Kershaw threw a warm-up pitch and remained in the game.
Kershaw is coming off his fourth straight major league ERA title, his third Cy Young Award in four seasons, and the first MVP season by a National League pitcher since Bob Gibson in 1968. Mattingly announced two weeks ago that Kershaw would make his fifth straight Opening Day start April 6 against the San Diego Padres.
Earlier Friday, the Dodgers announced that starter Hyun-Jin Ryu has been dealing with a tight left shoulder and is questionable for the start of the season.
