So the Dodgers desperately need to avoid being swept in Colorado this afternoon… and they get to do it with Joe Blanton but without Matt Kemp. Wonderful, right?

While that makes for a tough ask for today in the traditional Dodger house of horrors of Coors Field, there is at least good news about Kemp, who had looked to be seriously injured after slamming into the wall last night – Steve Dilbeck of the LA Times reports that there is no concussion or injury to Kemp’s jaw, just some bruising in his right knee. He won’t play today, but it sounds like he could be available in the upcoming series against Arizona. Of course, we have history here; last June, Kemp was scratched before a game in Colorado due to a sore hamstring. He came off the bench in the 9th inning to hit an absolute blast that’s still burned in my memory, albeit in a game the Dodgers still lost. I hate Coors Field; fortunately, the Dodgers don’t go there again.

With Kemp out, Shane Victorino stays in center and Juan Rivera starts in left, but it makes for an interesting lineup adjustment. Sure, Adrian Gonzalez & Hanley Ramirez each shift up a spot as expected, but it’s not Andre Ethier hitting fifth, and it’s not Rivera – it’s Luis Cruz, of all people. Since Colorado is starting lefty Drew Pomeranz today, it’s not at all a problem to keep Ethier low, but I do find Don Mattingly’s decision to hit Cruz above Rivera an unexpected (and pleasant) surprise.

While the news about Kemp is good, there’s once again concern about Scott Elbert, who was placed on the disabled list today with the same left elbow soreness that sidelined him earlier in the month. Oddly enough, Elbert had been effective since returning, allowing just two singles to the 12 hitters he faced, but with only one strikeout. Shawn Tolleson returns from his quick trip out to Rancho Cucamonga, making this the third time in 2012 that he’s been shipped out and then recalled before the 10-window had expired due to someone else’s injury. As Eric Stephen notes, that means that Tolleson still hasn’t used up an option year because of all of this, and still has three remaining.