Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw to start Sunday, ineligible for All-Star Game

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Robertssaid again Wednesday that Clayton Kershaw will take his normal turn in the rotation and start Sunday against the Kansas City Royals, meaning Kershaw will be ineligible to pitch in next Tuesday's All-Star Game.

Pitchers who start their team's final game before the break aren't eligible for the All-Star Game and are replaced on the roster. A replacement for Kershaw hasn't been named.

Roberts said that Kershaw isn't likely to start on July 14, when the Dodgers resume play at Miami.

Kershaw improved to 13-2 on the season on Tuesday, when he pitched seven shutout innings in a win against the Arizona Diamondbacks.He's the first Dodgers pitcher with 13 wins before the All-Star break since Orel Hershiser in 1988.

Kershaw allowed two hits and lowered his ERA to 2.19 and his WHIP to 0.89 on Tuesday.

Kershaw has worked 123 innings thus far and will get at least one extra day between starts if he doesn't pitch on July 14.

Meanwhile, in what could have been his audition for a spot in the All-Star Game, Dodgers starter Alex Wood pitched three-hit ball over seven innings to improve his record to 10-0 to start the season, as the NL West-leading Dodgers beat the second-place Diamondbacks 1-0 on Wednesday night.

Wood became the first Dodgers starter to reach 10-0 since Don Newcombe in 1955, when the Brooklyn Dodgers won the first of the franchise's six World Series championships.

The 26-year-old left-hander hasn't lost since May 30, 2016 -- a span of 13 consecutive starts. Wood struck out 10 and walked two.

Roberts compared Wood's mentality to that of Kershaw, whose locker is near Wood's. The left-handed ace has clearly impacted Wood beyond just their proximity.

"Just his tenacity and his work ethic," Wood said about Kershaw. "It's hard not to notice that even if you're pretty blind to a lot of things. He makes you want to work harder."

Asked about the prospect of taking Kershaw's spot in the All-Star Game lineup, Wood replied, "I would feel very honored if that happens and very humbled about something you kind of dream of as a kid."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.