All of Dodger nation was holding their breath on Sunday afternoon when they saw Clayton Kershaw wincing on the mound. The All-Star lefthander is one of the best pitchers in the game, but now the L.A. Dodgers may be without him for an extended period. Kershaw left his start Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Braves after just two innings of work because of what is only being described as a stiff back. Kershaw told reporters following the game that he felt something in his back that wasn't normal while he was pitching in the second inning of play.

Now the big question is: how long can the Dodgers survive without their best pitcher?

Kershaw back to the DL, but for how long?

Baseball fans in LA and all over the country know that Clayton Kershaw can dominate a team when he is on the mound. However, with Kershaw hitting the disabled list for at least ten days, Dodgers fans may be wondering if the team is going to make a move for a top line pitcher. After all, last season Kershaw missed over two months of the season with back issues. The last thing the LA brass wants to see is a repeat of that in 2017.

Kershaw is 15-2 so far in 2017 with a 2.04 ERA. More importantly, the Dodgers as a team are 19-2 in games that Kershaw has started. In other words, this guy is money when he takes the hill.

Justin Verlander LA bound?

As if Kershaw hitting the DL wasn't bad enough, it looks like the team will also be placing Brandon Mccarthy on the shelf for a bit as well. Dodger Blue is reporting that Manager Dave Roberts confirmed that McCarthy would head to the disabled list for at least ten days sometime this week with a blister issue.

With two of LA’s top pitchers status’ up in the air, could the Dodgers be looking to add an arm before the MLB trade deadline this week? How about Justin Verlander?

Don’t count it out. Verlander rumors have been picking up steam over the past two weeks, with most of them having JV linked to the Houston Astros or New York Yankees. However, with the injury bug hitting the Dodgers so quickly, could LA be interested in the Cy Young winner too? On the heels of trading slugger JD Martinez to the Diamondbacks, fans in Motown don't want to see another key player be dealt away.

The Detroit Free Press recently noted that the Los Angeles Dodgers were among several teams to scout Verlander in his start last Wednesday. So clearly the Dodgers had an interest in JV even before the injury to Kershaw. In fact, the Dodgers had an interest in the asking price for Verlander back in March, and with the Tigers seemingly more interested in trimming their payroll, don’t be surprised if the rumors between the Tigers and Dodgers heat up this week.