As soon as Matt Kemp walked into the Dodgers' clubhouse for their Thursday evening workout, he was teased by teammates for his performance in the Home Run Derby.
Kemp, the National League captain, hit only one home run late in his turn and was eliminated in the first round.
"Please hit one, Matt," A.J. Ellis said, recalling what he was thinking at the time.
Kemp laughed as players continued teasing him.
Knowing he was scheduled to be activated Friday for the opening game of a three-game series against the San Diego Padres, Kemp appeared to be good spirits.
Sidelined by a strained left hamstring, Kemp has played in only two games for the Dodgers in the last two months. He was on the disabled list twice over that span.
"It's been very difficult," Kemp said. "When we're losing, not playing as well as we should be, it's even more frustrating."
The Dodgers have lost 15 of their last 20 games.
Kemp played in six minor league games before he went to Kansas City, where he participated in the Home Run Derby but sat out the All-Star game.
Between Class-A Rancho Cucamonga and triple-A Albuquerque, he hit .391 and drove in five runs.
"Every at-bat got better and better," he said. "I feel really, really good right now. Hopefully, I start back up where I left off."
He promises he won't be tentative when playing Friday.
"I feel confident," he said. "I'm going to let it go. I'm going to play my game the way I need to play it and not play it any way else. There's no other way I know how to play except hard."
Kemp said he received an emotional lift from participating in All-Star festivities.
"Coming back from that kind of makes you even more hungry," he said. "It's kind of the same kind of atmosphere that a World Series would be. It definitely pushes you to get to the World Series and do some special things."
But Kemp said he would probably sit out the Home Run Derby next year. He was also eliminated in the first round last year, when he hit two home runs.
"I'll probably take a year off," he said. "They're probably tired of seeing my one or two home runs. I'll take a year off and see if I become a better Home Run Derby hitter."
Abreu leading off?
With shortstop Dee Gordon out for the next six weeks recovering from thumb surgery, Manager Don Mattingly said 38-year-old Bobby Abreu could be the Dodgers' leadoff hitter.
Abreu has batted in the middle of the lineup, but the returns of Kemp and Andre Ethier will give Mattingly some flexibility to move him around. Pointing to Abreu's historically high on-base percentage, Mattingly said, "I think he fits there."
Abreu led off twice for the Angels this year before he was released in late April. He stole 21 bases last year.
Other candidates to lead off are Jerry Hairston Jr. and Tony Gwynn Jr., according to Mattingly.
--Dylan Hernandez
