Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw placed on DL with back injury

Los Angeles Dodgers ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back injury.

"I think that right now, where he's at and kind of what he's going through with his back, I think that he understands that's the best course of action," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Thursday's game. "He's been our most valuable player, and when you lose a player to the disabled list like Clayton that you have counted on every fifth day for a start, obviously that's out of all of our control. I know Clayton is very disappointed. But it's up to us to pick him up."

Kershaw received an epidural in his ailing back and will likely be idle for several days before being re-examined. Kershaw returned to Los Angeles from Milwaukee on Wednesday morning for tests on his balky lower back.

The left-hander has been bothered by stiffness the past few days and team back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins supervised the exam.

Kershaw's next scheduled start was Friday against the Colorado Rockies.

The Dodgers are 14-2 in games started by Kershaw.

In Kershaw's last outing on Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he suffered just his second loss of the season while giving up four runs and nine hits.

"It's been a few weeks where it has been in and out and it has felt good, then it started barking a little bit," manager Dave Roberts said, adding that it was time for the Dodgers to "get some answers."

Kershaw has an 11-2 record with a National League-leading 1.79 ERA. His 121 innings pitched, 145 strikeouts, 0.727 WHIP and 0.7 walks per nine innings also lead the league.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner has a 16.11 strikeout-to-walk ratio that is on pace to break the major league record of 11.63 set by Phil Hughes with the Minnesota Twins in 2014.