It's been nearly two months since Clayton Kershaw last took the mound for Los Angeles, and what's happened in his absence has been pretty encouraging for the Dodgers. Kershaw's last appearance came in a loss to Pittsburgh on June 26, and Los Angeles trailed San Francisco by eight games in the NL West following that game. Since then, the Dodgers are 27-19 without their ace - and they now lead the division by a half-game.