Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA Today Sports
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Matt Kemp is hurt again, but this time it could be a good thing for Dodgers fans. Kemp pulled himself out of the game during the seventh inning of Wednesday night’s 4-3 loss against the Los Angeles Angels when he felt tightness in his right hamstring.
But unlike last season, a trip to the disabled list is probably good news for Kemp and the Dodgers. The struggling center fielder needs a break and a few weeks off to get away from a season that has been one to forget for Kemp. Through 50 games, he is hitting only .250 with two home runs and only 17 RBIs. He also has struck out 15 times during his last seven starts and is tied for fourth in the NL with 66 Ks on the season.
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It’s time to take a seat for a bit. The good news is the hamstring injury isn’t believed to be as bad as last season’s hamstring pull, and it’s not the same hamstring as last year when Kemp missed 51 games to derail a great start to the 2012 campaign.
After Wednesday’s game, Kemp told the media it was a mild hamstring pull and he will receive an MRI today. But let’s not fool anyone with the word mild — any time the word hamstring and injury are in the same sentence, it equals a trip to the disabled list.
“It’s not as bad as last year,” Kemp told the Los Angeles Times. “But when you feel it grab, you have to take it easy and make sure you’re careful with it because it can get worse.”
Kemp is a competitor. He won’t want to go to the DL, but hopefully the doctor orders it. He needs it to regroup and refocus, and he needs it so he can have a couple of rehab games in the minors to find his swing back. He needs it not only to rest the hammy but to rest his shoulder that was surgically repaired in the offseason.
It is clear that his injured shoulder has altered his swing this season, and the center fielder finally admitted a few weeks ago that he just needs time for it to get back to where it was before he hurt it.
So go to the DL, Matt. It will be good for you and the Dodgers. See you in two weeks. Bring the 2012 swing with you.
