The Dodgers held up pretty well during Matt Kemp's stay on the disabled list, going 9-5. But they have flagged a bit lately, losing three of their last five, and right-handed starting pitchers now have shut them down twice in four days after a makeshift lineup of left-handed veteran hitters forged seven straight wins against right handers. Kemp is due back in the lineup Tuesday night.
By BILL PETERSON
Big Leagues in Los Angeles
The Dodgers survived Matt Kemp's stay on the disabled list with a 9-5 record. Barring some kind of unplanned event, Kemp will be back in the lineup Tuesday night against Milwaukee for his first appearance since going on the DL with a hamstring strain on May 14. Let no one believe the Dodgers weren't damaged by Kemp's absence.
After all, the Dodgers were 23-11 before Kemp went on the DL, so 9-5 isn't as good. As 9-5 signals, though, Kemp's absence also has been a period with heartening developments for the Dodgers, so we should also let no one believe the club wasn't enriched by the experience.
The experience includes a raft of key players -- Mark Ellis, Juan Uribe, Juan Rivera, Jerry Hairston and Kemp -- who have been on the disabled list during the last two weeks. The experience also includes Dodgers manager Don Mattingly fighting at once with two problems -- the leadoff position in the batting order and the struggles of a talented young player -- in the person of Dee Gordon.
As a result of the experience, we met a number of players we wouldn't have otherwise seen -- Ivan DeJesus, Elian Herrera, Jerry Sands (again) and Scott Van Slyke. We've seen them flop and we've seen them come up big -- often enough, the latter.
In particular, Herrera is the kind of piece a manager has to love, provided he can kick in offensively. Herrera figures as something of a poor man's Hairston for his ability to take a glove to a lot of positions. But he's also a bit younger than Hairston (27 to 36), he is a switch hitter and his speed can make a difference. In today's baseball, with 12-man pitching staffs shortening benches, your team needs a strong, balanced everyday lineup and versatile players with offensive tools on the bench.
We should add that old war horses like Bobby Abreu, Tony Gwynn and Adam Kennedy have kept the Dodgers from taking on water, now and then dialing up the old bat speed to produce key hits in the last couple weeks. All three have been staples in a left-handed batting order that has led the Dodgers to a 7-2 record against right-handed starting pitchers during Kemp's absence.
Against left-handed starters, not so good -- the Dodgers are just 2-3 against lefties with Kemp on the DL. They were 9-6 with him. That's where Kemp's return will really lift the Dodgers, because he destroys left handers. He leads the NL with a .486 batting average against lefties.
We probably didn't see as much as we'd like from the likes of Sands and Van Slyke, but, in their defense, they shouldn't have been up here. It was only due to a spate of injuries to the players mentioned above that the Dodgers had to dig as deep as Sands and Van Slyke for right-handed batting. Once the DL clears up, the Dodgers will decide that Sands and Van Slyke need regular playing time, and they will be headed back to Albuquerque.
All together, we would have to say this has been a very pleasant little crisis. The Dodgers were able to deal with the big majority of it as home, which always makes it easier. A lot of players have made contributions, which means a lot of players have buy-in with what the club is doing. And the Dodgers, now 32-16, still expanded their lead in the National League West to 6 1/2 games.
The Dodgers lost a tough one Tuesday night, 3-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodgers Stadium. For the second time in four days, a right-handed starter really shut down the lineup that had been so good against lefties since Kemp was disabled. Shaun Marcum held the Dodgers to one run on six hits in seven innings.
After the game, Mattingly likened Marcum to "a right-handed (Chris) Capuano." Marcum really picked on the shell of the Los Angeles batting order (No. 8 through No. 2), notching a combined eight strikeouts against Gordon, Gwynn and Herrera. Three days earlier, Houston right hander Lucas Harrell held the Dodgers to a run on five hits in 7 1/3 innings. Those are the Dodgers two losses against right-handed starters since Kemp went on the DL. Before then, Mattingly’s makeshift lineup of old men forged a 7-0 record against righties.
Now that it appears as if right handers are catching up with the Dodgers hitters, it would appear that now is a good time for Matt Kemp to return. And he shall.
By BILL PETERSON
Big Leagues in Los Angeles
The Dodgers survived Matt Kemp's stay on the disabled list with a 9-5 record. Barring some kind of unplanned event, Kemp will be back in the lineup Tuesday night against Milwaukee for his first appearance since going on the DL with a hamstring strain on May 14. Let no one believe the Dodgers weren't damaged by Kemp's absence.
After all, the Dodgers were 23-11 before Kemp went on the DL, so 9-5 isn't as good. As 9-5 signals, though, Kemp's absence also has been a period with heartening developments for the Dodgers, so we should also let no one believe the club wasn't enriched by the experience.
The experience includes a raft of key players -- Mark Ellis, Juan Uribe, Juan Rivera, Jerry Hairston and Kemp -- who have been on the disabled list during the last two weeks. The experience also includes Dodgers manager Don Mattingly fighting at once with two problems -- the leadoff position in the batting order and the struggles of a talented young player -- in the person of Dee Gordon.
As a result of the experience, we met a number of players we wouldn't have otherwise seen -- Ivan DeJesus, Elian Herrera, Jerry Sands (again) and Scott Van Slyke. We've seen them flop and we've seen them come up big -- often enough, the latter.
In particular, Herrera is the kind of piece a manager has to love, provided he can kick in offensively. Herrera figures as something of a poor man's Hairston for his ability to take a glove to a lot of positions. But he's also a bit younger than Hairston (27 to 36), he is a switch hitter and his speed can make a difference. In today's baseball, with 12-man pitching staffs shortening benches, your team needs a strong, balanced everyday lineup and versatile players with offensive tools on the bench.
We should add that old war horses like Bobby Abreu, Tony Gwynn and Adam Kennedy have kept the Dodgers from taking on water, now and then dialing up the old bat speed to produce key hits in the last couple weeks. All three have been staples in a left-handed batting order that has led the Dodgers to a 7-2 record against right-handed starting pitchers during Kemp's absence.
Against left-handed starters, not so good -- the Dodgers are just 2-3 against lefties with Kemp on the DL. They were 9-6 with him. That's where Kemp's return will really lift the Dodgers, because he destroys left handers. He leads the NL with a .486 batting average against lefties.
We probably didn't see as much as we'd like from the likes of Sands and Van Slyke, but, in their defense, they shouldn't have been up here. It was only due to a spate of injuries to the players mentioned above that the Dodgers had to dig as deep as Sands and Van Slyke for right-handed batting. Once the DL clears up, the Dodgers will decide that Sands and Van Slyke need regular playing time, and they will be headed back to Albuquerque.
All together, we would have to say this has been a very pleasant little crisis. The Dodgers were able to deal with the big majority of it as home, which always makes it easier. A lot of players have made contributions, which means a lot of players have buy-in with what the club is doing. And the Dodgers, now 32-16, still expanded their lead in the National League West to 6 1/2 games.
The Dodgers lost a tough one Tuesday night, 3-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodgers Stadium. For the second time in four days, a right-handed starter really shut down the lineup that had been so good against lefties since Kemp was disabled. Shaun Marcum held the Dodgers to one run on six hits in seven innings.
After the game, Mattingly likened Marcum to "a right-handed (Chris) Capuano." Marcum really picked on the shell of the Los Angeles batting order (No. 8 through No. 2), notching a combined eight strikeouts against Gordon, Gwynn and Herrera. Three days earlier, Houston right hander Lucas Harrell held the Dodgers to a run on five hits in 7 1/3 innings. Those are the Dodgers two losses against right-handed starters since Kemp went on the DL. Before then, Mattingly’s makeshift lineup of old men forged a 7-0 record against righties.
Now that it appears as if right handers are catching up with the Dodgers hitters, it would appear that now is a good time for Matt Kemp to return. And he shall.
