Kershaw eager for bigger October role

PITTSBURGH -- Clayton Kershaw calls his collision with the fence at Dodger Stadium "dumb," but more than that he'd rather not talk about the separated (non-throwing) shoulder he suffered.

It knocked the 21-year-old left-hander out of the Dodgers' rotation for three weeks and off a Major League mound until Tuesday night, when four strikeouts in two innings of relief convinced manager Joe Torre that Kershaw was ready for a Sunday return to the rotation in Pittsburgh.

Dodgers at a glance 2009 record: 95-67 2008 record: 84-78 NL West champs NL best record NLCS matchup: Phillies at Dodgers Postseason tix: Buy now WHO ARE THESE GUYS? • Loney: Taking good swings • Kuo: Long road back • Thome: Back in Philly • Loney: Building resume • Bullpen: Led by Broxton • Torre: Rep precedes him • Blake: Chemistry guy • Kershaw: Game 1 nod? • Dodgers: Eyes on prize • Kemp: Path of the pros • Furcal: Back healthy • Kershaw: Like Koufax • Hudson: Keeping head up • Billingsley: Unknown role • Ethier: Slump over • Torre: Tough decisions • Kershaw: Elite comparisons • Kemp: Nearly elite • Kershaw: Path to the pros • Billingsley: Fate in balance • Ethier: Aims to improve • Torre: Back to playoffs • Kershaw: Ready to rock • Rotation: Plenty of options • Kemp: Chasing LA history • Bullpen: Dominant pair • Honeycutt: Pitching guru • Kemp: Tools to match talent • Ethier: Walk-off wonder • Billingsley: Vying for spot • Ethier/Kemp: Dynamic duo • Torre: Another pennant race • Pierre: Receives high praise • Kershaw: Beyond his years More Dodgers coverage • Dodgers, Broxton stung by Phils in ninth Game 4 remains unkind to Broxton Phillies have Dodgers in tight spot Dodgers attempt to shake off heartbreaker With season on line, LA turns to Padilla Dodgers overwhelmed in Game 3 Wolf to put fond memories aside Kuroda makes no excuses for performance Runs hard to come by for Dodgers Beyond Game 4, rotation a question Dodgers ready to weather chill in Philly Kuroda gets ball for Game 3 Temperatures will be a challenge Rally revives Dodgers, evens NLCS Dodgers can't recover from Phils' homers Sherrill's rough inning costly Kershaw unravels quickly in Gm. 1 For starters, Dodgers have options October continues to be Torre's time After sweep, Dodgers reload rotation Sweep deal: Dodgers return to NLCS Dodgers hope party isn't last of 2009 Manny's big game a great sign Sweep leaves LA waiting on Rox, Phils Padilla silences critics with gem Dodgers excited, but keep eye on prize Affable Padilla on top of his game Torre, the person, leads way Dodgers stun Cardinals in ninth From walk to walk-off, Blake set stage Kershaw comes of age in Game 2 start Holliday takes place in long line of 'goats' Padilla grateful for 'second life' in LA Cards focused, but history against them Kemp, bullpen pull through in Game 1 Kershaw ready to grow up on big stage Short turnaround awaits NLDS foes Dodgers, Cardinals break left-on-base mark Middle of defense turns tables fast Billingsley gets call for Game 4 No surprises as Dodgers set roster Call to Wolf is easy decision One win nets Dodgers division, home-field Dodgers end drama, wrap up NL West Dodgers' division lead whittled to one Dodgers leave SD without division title LA drops chance to clinch NL West Ohman undergoes shoulder surgery Bucs keep Dodgers' celebration on ice Dodgers stunned; West party on hold Dodgers clinch postseason berth Playoffs await after win over Bucs Dodgers denied in playoff clinch attempt Wolf rolling as postseason beckons Blake playing it careful with hamstring Dodgers trim playoff magic number to one Billingsley sharp, LA not in loss to Nats Postseason magic number down to two Dodgers beat Giants' ace to stay on track Kershaw says he's ready to go Ethier blossoms into prime-time player Billingsley confident turnaround is coming Kershaw pitching beyond his years Ethier helps Dodgers pad West lead Dodgers shut down by former ace Penny Dodgers leave Giants reeling in NL West Dodgers protect lead with Kuroda's help Bauman: Pitching will carry Dodgers Messy ninth inning costs Dodgers

Now Kershaw needs to extend that form for 70 pitches or so as he works his way back into shape for a postseason role.

"It's not fun being hurt," Kershaw said. "Not the place I wanted to be. But I can't dwell on it. It was a dumb thing to do, but you play the hand you're dealt. I feel bad for not being able to pitch and be part of the team. It happened and I had to deal with it."

Kershaw suffered the injury shagging fly balls in batting practice, slamming his right shoulder into the Plexiglas that protects the out-of-town scoreboard embedded in the right-field fence.

At the time, Kershaw had become one of the more dominant pitchers in the league. He's allowed four earned runs only once in his past 21 starts. When the Dodgers were scoring in June and July he reeled off five consecutive wins. He's been victimized more than any other Dodgers starter during the offense's second-half outage, going winless over his past nine starts (8-8 on the season), even though his ERA in that time actually lowered from 2.95 to 2.89, ninth in the league.

Kershaw said he can't pinpoint what turned his season around (he was 3-5 with a 4.50 ERA on June 10) and doesn't want to.

"I don't look back," he said. "I don't have to explain it. There's no point. If this season goes the way we want and we make a run at this thing, that's what I care about. Individually, I'm not worried about what I did.

"I don't like to look at things in a big picture. I've been blessed with the ability to perform and I don't take it for granted. But to look back two months ago and try to explain why I did that and why I'm doing this, two months ago seems like an eternity. I just take it day by day."

Kershaw said his focus has been to get healthy, so he can focus on his next assignment. After being limited to two innings of relief work in last year's playoffs, he envisions a greater role this October.

"I think I'm better prepared for the postseason than a year ago," he said. "Even though I didn't have a big role, just to be part of it for a couple of innings, it's amazing how much that helped me progress. I hope my role is a little different this time, a little bigger. For me, my role was not so huge. I flew under the radar. All the attention was not directed at me. Maybe this year will be different.

"I love being part of something. I want to be a big part of the team. I want to be that guy that they give the ball to. I think any pitcher would want that. I don't like to talk about it a lot. I'm not into talking. But I'm a pretty competitive guy. That's part of the reason being hurt was so tough, because I couldn't contribute."