LOS ANGELES — With baseball's best record at 24-11,
the Dodgers have met every challenge this season, on and off the field.
Especially when it comes to injuries.
Whether it's Juan Rivera, Javy Guerra, Jerry Hairston or Juan Uribe getting
hurt, the Dodgers have called on Bobby Abreu, Kenley Jansen, Adam Kennedy and
others to fill the voids. They've done well, as the Dodgers have steadily
improved their win-loss mark.
Now, though, the National League West Division leaders are contending with the
worst-case scenario: Matt Kemp going on the disabled list.
After avoiding an announcement prior to Monday’s game, when it was announced that
Kemp had a "strained hamstring" and was considered day to day, the Dodgers
decided to DL their MVP, ending the risk of any further damage to his left
hammy. The DL move was made official after a 3-1 victory over the Arizona
Diamondbacks.
"We're going to DL Matty and bring up Jerry Sands," manager Don
Mattingly said after the two-run victory. "We pretty much knew before the
game, but didn't want to announce it.
"We just feel like it's the right thing to do. We found out that Matt
wasn't going to give us the whole truth and nothing but the truth with the
(condition of) the hamstring, and we had to, in a sense, protect him from
himself.
"He wants to keep playing and that's what we like. He wants to be out
there and doesn't want to miss (any playing time.) But in the same breath,
we're going OK and we have to make sure this thing doesn't turn into (a) long-term
(situation). That's what the doctors talked to Matt about before the game, that
we've got to get (the hamstring) healthy and healed up and not have to ... deal
with this all year long."
By sitting out against Arizona, Kemp saw his major league-leading streak of 399
consecutive games played end, last missing a game on Aug. 18, 2009. It's only Kemp’s
second trip to the disabled list.
He was off to a brilliant start, hitting .359 with 12 homers, 28 RBI, a .446 OBP,
a 1.173 OPS and a slugging percentage of .726. He's leading the NL in slugging,
and is in the top five of all the other categories.
His loss can't be described as anything but huge, and
despite his proclamation Sunday that he absolutely "would not got on the
disabled list," that's exactly where he'll spend the next two weeks.
According to Mattingly, Kemp handled the decision well.
"He was OK when he came to the realization ... about long-term
health," Mattingly said. "He felt he was getting better after (we
came back from) Chicago. He was able to run a little bit better. Then, when he
turned it loose, he'd done (more damage).
“It's a mild strain, but the doc told him that if he injures
it again, then it becomes four weeks (on the DL). We have a chance to get it
healthy and make sure he doesn't have any long-term effects.
"It's the right thing."
Sands, thought to be a lock to make the team until an abysmal spring training,
will likely get some playing time along with Tony Gwynn Jr.. With the Triple-A
Albuquerque Isotopes, Sands hit seven home runs, and led the team with 28 RBI
and 27 runs. He's defensively versatile, able to play the outfield and first
base.
The man the Dodgers will be looking toward to help make up for Kemp's absence
is Andre Ethier, who's having an excellent start himself, leading the NL with
33 RBI to go with eight homers and a .308 batting average.
"I'm pretty sure our offense can find some way to keep it going,"
said Ethier, who homered off D-Backs starter Ian Kennedy in Monday’s win.
"(Losing Matt) is a big hole to fill, but we'll patch it up and keep our
lead or hopefully increase it."
Reigning Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw echoed Ethier's sentiments.
"Everybody's going to have to pick it up,” said Kershaw, who won his third
game on Monday in four decisions. "Matty's our guy, and Dre is going to
have to be huge for us and the other guys are going to have to do their parts.
"You can't replace him. Hopefully it's just a two week-thing. We can play
some good baseball and get him back, ready to go."
NOTES: Earlier in the day, the Dodgers put third baseman Uribe on the DL
with a left wrist injury. They purchased the contract of Elian Herrera from
Albuquerque. He was hitting .358 on the season and .404 in May. … It was the
fifth consecutive win for the Dodgers and the third loss in a row for 15-21
Arizona. … Kershaw and Kennedy (3-3) both threw brushback pitches at each
other, the bad blood spilling over from last season when Kershaw hit Gerardo
Parra following a slow run from the batter's box after hitting a homer the
night before against former Dodger Hong-Chih Kuo. "I guess that's Gibby
(Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson) type of baseball, but there's no place for
that," Kershaw said when asked about being thrown at by Kennedy.
