In his first action since July 23rd, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was back up to his old tricks Friday night against the San Diego Padres. 

Kershaw, who missed the past month-plus with a lower-back, tossed six shutout innings while allowing just two hits. He also struck out seven friar batters while walking zero. In improving to 16-2 on the season, Kershaw threw just 73 pitches in his six innings. Needless to say, the Dodgers are easing him back into it. 

This is obviously some big news for the first-place Dodgers as they look to get their rotation settled for the playoffs. Though, we can likely expect Kershaw to see his pitch count limited over the course of the next couple starts.

Los Angeles currently boasts a 92-41 record and has no competition for home-field advantage in the NL Playoffs. It can afford to continue easing Kershaw back into it. 

The Cy Young candidates next start will come Wednesday at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The veteran is pitching to a 27-5 record with a 1.76 ERA and 0.67 WHIP at home since the start of the 2015 season.