Clayton Kershaw made his fifth start since returning from injury on Tuesday, as the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the Miami Marlins. He retired the first three batters he faced, but his average fastball velocity in the first inning was 88.3 mph. In his starts last week, Kershaw's fastball averaged 89.6 mph, the lowest mark of the season, according to Jack Harris of the LA Times. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also mentioned pregame that Kershaw is still dealing with his shoulder injury.

Clayton Kershaw has never overpowered with a high-velocity fastball. His 2023 average velocity is just 91.1 mph. Still, the noticeable downtick is something to keep an eye on for the Dodgers. It indicates the 35-year-old is not 100%. That could affect his performance as the Dodgers approach the postseason. It also means he could be at risk for further injury, which would be the worst-case scenario.

Kershaw missed more than a month with some sort of shoulder injury earlier this year. When healthy, he has been dependable as ever. In 20 starts, Kershaw is 12-4 with a 2.48 ERA.

With Walker Buehler still missing from the rotation and Julio Urias now out of the picture, Dave Roberts has a challenging task ahead of him. The Dodgers really need Kershaw to be healthy to navigate the postseason and accomplish their lofty goals.

At the time of writing, the Dodgers lead the Marlins 2-0 in the top of the 4th inning. Kershaw has thrown three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks, with three strikeouts. His command and control appear to be intact as always, yet the velocity just isn't there.