Dodgers in panic mode with loss of Clayton Kershaw to DL

That tremor Thursday morning that jarred everyone to their senses throughout Los Angeles had nothing to do with an earthquake, but this felt worse.

The franchise, otherwise known as Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, suddenly came toppling down.

Kershaw, the greatest pitcher on the planet, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts unable to provide a specific timetable for when he’ll be able to return.

Let the panic begin.

This may be a $250 million team, but with Kershaw gone until after the All-Star break, the Dodgers will be gasping for air just to stay alive in perhaps baseball’s weakest division.

Dodgers place Clayton Kershaw on DL, uncertain of return

The Dodgers, 43-37, are six games behind the suddenly reeling San Francisco Giants, but with the news of Kershaw’s bad back, diagnosed as a herniated disk that required an epidural shot to reduce inflammation, it suddenly feels like twice the deficit.

This is a team that is 14-2 in games that Kershaw starts.

And a team that is 30-35 in every game he doesn’t step on the mound.

The Dodgers rely on the three-time Cy Young Award winner, who has the lowest career ERA of any pitcher since the dead-ball era in 1920, more than any other team in baseball.

The Dodgers don’t have the offense, ranked fourth worst in the National League, to make up for the loss of Kershaw. Their bullpen is shaky outside of closer Kenley Jansen. And the rotation stinks on most days Kershaw doesn’t start.

Really, despite all of their injuries, the Dodgers have no one to blame but themselves.

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They were the ones who passed on David Price, Johnny Cueto and Jordan Zimmermann over the winter and Cole Hamels at the 2015 trade deadline, thinking they had enough depth.

Take a good look at the rotation now. They’ve got free agent pickups Kenta Maeda and Scott Kazmir, rookies Julio Urias and Brock Stewart, and now journeyman Bud Norris, who was acquired Thursday from the Atlanta Braves.

Yes, really.

Let’s see, Stewart was in Class A this year and became the first Dodgers pitcher to make his major league debut in the same season since Hideo Nomo in 1995. Urias, 19, became the youngest Dodgers  starter since Fernando Valenzuela last month. Maeda flunked his physical last winter before the Dodgers signed him to a low-risk contract. Kazmir, 31, is on his fifth team in six seasons, despite sitting out two years. And Norris, who was demoted a month ago to the bullpen by the Braves, is 6-18 with a 5.58 ERA since the 2014 season.

Norris, who was traded for pitching prospects Phillip Pfeiffer and Caleb Dirks, will become their 10th starting pitcher this season when he likely starts Friday against the Colorado Rockies.

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The  Dodgers have tried four different pitchers in the fifth spot alone. It began with Ross Stripling, who was sent out. He was replaced by Mike Bolsinger, who was replaced by Nick Tepesch, and now Stewart.

The result of their seven starts since Stripling was sent to the minors: 7.79 ERA and 1.61 WHIP.

Oh, sure, the Dodgers will remind you they’ve got help on the way. They think that Alex Wood, Brett Anderson, Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu will return in the second half.

Yet, no matter who comes back, without Kershaw, they’ve got as much a chance of winning the division as the San Diego Padres.

You take away Kershaw (11-2, 1.79 ERA), and the Dodgers starting rotation is 17-23.

“At some point, we’ve got to get length,” Roberts told reporters. “And we’ve got to win baseball games from that (fifth) spot.”

And second spot, third spot and fourth spot.

In the meantime, they can only pray that Kershaw’s back heals quickly and hope  for as many rainouts as possible, even though we all know it never rains in Southern California.

“I know Clayton’s very disappointed,’’ Roberts said. “It’s up to us to pick him up.’’

And soon, while there’s still a division race.

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