Really, this is getting sort of ridiculous.

Ted Lilly hasn't pitched for the Dodgers since late May. Chad Billingsley last pitched on the 24th of August. Last week, both Lilly and Billingsley underwent season-ending surgeries. As if those bits of news were bad enough for the Dodgers while they're battling the St. Louis Cardinals for a Wild Card, now there's this, worst of all (via MLB.com):

Clayton Kershaw will miss Sunday's start against the Cardinals with an injured right hip the club fears will require season-ending surgery.

Kershaw will see specialist Dr. Bryan Kelly in New York for a second opinion, but the belief is that he needs arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn labrum, the same surgery teammate Jerry Hairston had on Monday.

Yeah. The Dodgers are not just battling the Cardinals for a playoff spot; they're battling them, head to head this weekend. And instead of ace Clayton Kershaw, rookie Stephen Fife will take the mound for the Dodgers.