Is Clayton Kershaws elbow injury a result of foreign substance checks?
Editors note: This is the Friday, July 9 edition of the Inside the Dodgers newsletter from reporter J.P. Hoornstra. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here. An MRI offered Clayton Kershaw some good news Friday. The soreness in his left elbow is being caused by inflammation, and hell be able to resume playing catch tomorrow, Manager Dave Roberts said. When Kershaw was placed on the 10-day injured list, I flashed back to Tyler Glasnow, the Tampa Bay Rays pitcher who suffered a partial tear in his UCL in June. Glasnow explicitly blamed MLBs enhanced foreign substance check policy for the injury. Because he could no longer apply a combination of sunscreen and rosin to his pitching hand, he said, I had to put my fastball deeper into my hand and grip it way harder. Instead of holding my curveball at the tip of my fingers, I had to dig it deeper into my hand. Im choking the (poop) out of all my pitches.  At the time, Glasnows cautionary tale invoked a sense of dread. MLBs enhanced monitoring policy went into effect on June 22. Glasnows troubles began more than a week earlier. The number of pitchers at greater risk for injury seemed high. To be clear, I dont know if Kershaw had to change a thing after umpires began inspecting pitchers for foreign substances. Heres what we do know from Statcast:   The spin rate on Kershaws fastball, curveball and slider have all been lower since his start against the Padres on June 22, the day the enhanced monitoring procedures went into effect.  In 15 games before June 22, Kershaws slider averaged 2600 rpm or more on 14 occasions. His slider similarly dipped below 2440 rpm just once, and his curveball never dipped below 2465 per game. (The spin rate on all three pitches curiously dipped in Kershaws shortest start of the season  also the shortest of his career  when he allowed four runs in one inning against the Cubs on May 4.)  In his three starts since June 22, Kershaw has posted the lowest spin rates on each of these pitches this season, with the exception of the May 4 game.  Kershaw introduced a changeup on June 22 and has thrown a couple in every game since. He had not thrown a changeup since August of last year. None of this offers concrete evidence that Kershaw was using a foreign substance of any sort before his start against the Padres. It just looks that way. In any event, we know something changed with Kershaw three starts ago, then he developed soreness and inflammation in his elbow. If the injury merely serves as a caution to Kershaw, consider it a victory. Editors note: Thanks for reading the Inside the Dodgers newsletter. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.