As he warmed up to pitch the fifth, Kershaw felt his back tighten after his penultimate warmup pitch. He then tried to throw one more to test the back, but immediately motioned toward the Dodgers dugout. He left the game coached by Thomas Albert. Kershaw said he’ll know more after seeing how he wakes up Friday and after a series of tests. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also said there’s always a level of concern when it comes to Kershaw’s back, but they won’t have much information until Friday. “It’s a fair amount,” Kershaw said when asked how frustrating it is to deal with more back problems. “I just felt something lock up there in the fifth. I couldn’t really fly after that.” The future Hall of Famer has struggled with back issues throughout his career, landing on the disabled list with a back injury in five of his last seven seasons. Kershaw has missed less than three weeks in each of those stints on the injured list. This season, Kershaw missed a month with right SI joint inflammation that flared up during a cross-country flight. While the Dodgers will know more after testing, another injury-list cut for Kershaw isn’t off the table. “I’m not going to try to get too far ahead of it,” Roberts said. “Obviously any time a pitcher has to come out of a game, there’s kind of a level of concern. Again, given that it’s his back, which has been problematic at times — we just won’t know more until we get some tests done.” If Kershaw is forced to miss time, it will be another big blow to the Dodgers. When healthy, Kershaw has been one of the club’s best pitchers, posting a 2.64 ERA over 15 starts. The Dodgers did not trade for a starting pitcher before the Aug. 2 trade deadline. Instead, they traded right-hander Mitch White — their best piece for depth. Dustin May, who made four innings with Triple-A Oklahoma City during his rehab Wednesday, will need at least one more outing in the Minors before he’s a candidate to replace any starts Kershaw might miss. Ryan Pepiot, who has a 2.76 ERA in four starts this season, is also an option. Seeing Kershaw leave the game was the only thing that went wrong for the Dodgers during their 7-1 road trip against the Rockies and Giants. Los Angeles has won eight straight against the Giants, sweeping them in a four-game series in San Francisco for the first time since 1977. The Dodgers’ dominance and Giants’ frustration showed in the sixth inning, as reliever Jarlín García mocked Los Angeles’ hit celebration after striking out Cody Bellinger and James Outman. After the second punchout ended the frame, García motioned to Mookie Betts, who was in the on-deck circle, as he left the field. Betts received an exemption. “I don’t know. I didn’t do anything. It was all weird to me,” said Betts, who hit his 25th homer of the season to put the Dodgers ahead in the fourth. “I guess he felt a certain way. I don’t know. I have to you ask him.” After the game, Garcia said he didn’t mean to disrespect any of the Dodgers players and that the Giants were also there to compete. Garcia also said Betts is “one of my favorite players.” But García just happened to lift the Dodgers, who were even more animated following Trea Turner’s homer in the seventh. “I’m not going to back down at this point,” Betts said. “I’m not going to get away from it. I’m not going to encourage it, but I’m not going to run away.” Over the past month and a half, the Dodgers (72-33) haven’t shied away from any challenge. They are 39 games over .500 and have a 21 1/2-game lead in the NL West over the third-place Giants. Since the All-Star break, the Dodgers are 12-3, the best mark in the Majors. Although a Kershaw hit is a hit in the rotation, the Dodgers have been clicking on all cylinders for a long time. It seems like a good time to host the Padres on Friday, the first meeting since San Diego acquired Juan Soto, Josh Bell, Josh Hader and Brandon Drury. “We’re playing really good baseball,” Roberts said. “We do things to win baseball games. It’s really, really good to see.”