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Don Mattingly, on whether Matt Kemp‘s injury might keep him out of the All-Star Game:
“We’re talking about him playing for us before the break. We’re talking about guessing when he’ll be ready. It seems silly to me. He’s not ready to play yet and we’re talking about the All-Star Game. We’re talking about practice.”
Practice. We talkin’ bout practice, man.
We don’t yet know the extent of how badly Matt Kemp has re-injured his hamstring, but a return to the disabled list seems like an absolute certainty. That’s actually underplaying it, considering Kemp was throwing around quotes like “it feels worse than the first time” and that he expects to be out for at least a month. That would conservatively cost the Dodgers his services well into July, and no matter how well the team played during his initial absence, you can’t replace a player of that caliber. You just can’t. We never expected this club to play .700 ball all season, and now we’ll get to see how they respond without Kemp as they fight their first slump of the season, having lost four of six and needing to beat Zack Greinke tonight to fend off their first sweep of 2012.
Still, it’s premature to say that all hope is lost, because this club looks a lot different than it did when Kemp was initially lost a month ago. I have a half-written draft I had been planning to run tomorrow for Juan Rivera‘s return, arguing that the lefty/righty/defense left field trio that flopped so miserably with Jay Gibbons, Marcus Thames, & Tony Gwynn last season could potentially be very productive with this year’s group of Bobby Abreu, Rivera, & Gwynn, if they were used correctly. That doesn’t seem like it’s going to be an issue now, but now Don Mattingly isn’t going to have to worry about having too many left fielders anymore. (For tonight, it remains to be seen whether Rivera will be activated a day early or if Jerry Sands or another Isotope heads back to the bigs.)
Gwynn, of course, will remain the primary center fielder, and his outstanding defensive skills represent an upgrade there over Kemp. He’s one of those guys who we can never seem to agree on regarding his bat – I’ll admit that every time I turn around, it seems like he’s getting a base hit, but he still has just a .318 OBP after two seasons of .304 and .308 – but his glove is so good that as long as he’s not a total zero at the plate, he’s useful. (Now, whether he should be the leadoff hitter simply because of some concept of “speed” is another matter entirely…)
In left, once Rivera is back, he and Abreu could in theory make for a solid platoon, as long as neither one ever, ever has to face same-handed pitching. You might also see Jerry Hairston out there occasionally, especially once Juan Uribe returns to handle some of the third base work, though I prefer him as an infielder, and Scott Van Slyke is still around.
Here’s a thought, though: Rivera alone isn’t enough to fill the right-handed needs of the bench. You need him at first base to spell James Loney against lefties – and let me repeat, Loney should never, ever be allowed to face lefties – and while you can live with Andre Ethier against them, having an all-lefty outfield of Abreu / Gwynn / Ethier against tough lefties (assuming Hairston is playing third) is a disaster waiting to happen. Sure, you could use Sands or Van Slyke in left or first, as Mattingly has been doing, but it’s pretty clear that neither is ready for the bigs right now and each would be better served by everyday play in Albuquerque. That doesn’t make the righty need any less, though, so I wouldn’t mind seeing the only other available righty member of the 40-man besides catcher Tim Federowicz – Alex Castellanos.
Castellanos, as I’m sure you remember, was destroying the PCL before he suffered his own hamstring injury in late April and missed a month. He’s only been back for four games, so I admit this may be slightly premature, but he’s been outstanding, collecting seven hits – including three doubles and a homer. Had he not been injured himself, there’s almost no certainty that he would have been up long ago, before Elian Herrera, before Ivan De Jesus, perhaps before Sands & Van Slyke. He’s been working on a transition to second base, and while that’s still a work in progress, all indications are that it’s going well enough to keep at it, and the Dodgers of course have a massive hole at the keystone.
That’s not how I would use him, though, because it’s tough to think you can just stick him in every day at second in the bigs this early into his transition. Castellanos is by trade a corner outfielder, and has still seen some time there with ABQ this season, so he could be the righty partner that Rivera needs. Let him start against all lefties in left field while Rivera plays first, let him get in a game or two at second base a week, and hope that the bat carries the rest. It’s not ideal, but on a team that figures to be struggling for offense for a while, it might just be worth a shot.
Whether it’s Castellanos or someone else, it’s going to be impossible to cover the loss of Kemp, so strap in for a rough couple of weeks, because this puts even more pressure on players like Ethier, A.J. Ellis, and the pitching staff to perform. Best case scenario, from my perspective, they continue to tread water for the next few weeks, and then hopefully pick up the best trade deadline acquisition in the history of baseball when Kemp returns – hopefully, fully healthy this time. Judging by the quality of the rest of the division, they just might be able to pull it off.
At some point before Clayton Kershaw throws the first pitch of tonight’s game against the Astros at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers are expected to activate Jerry Hairston off the disabled list, since the veteran has reported no trouble with his sore hamstring in two rehab games for Albuquerque. On Sunday & Monday, Matt Kemp & Juan Rivera are expected to begin rehab stints of their own for the Isotopes, with Kemp scheduled to return to the Dodgers on Tuesday against Milwaukee and Rivera, healing far ahead of schedule, potentially returning later in the week. In addition, while we haven’t heard any news about a possible rehab stint for Juan Uribe, the news on his injured wrist is positive, as he’s been cleared to resume baseball activities and is eligible to return on Tuesday as well.
All of a sudden, the walking wounded are beginning to heal, and the Dodgers are going to have some roster decisions to make. If it was as simple as sending down those who were recalled to take the four spots in the first place, then the Dodgers would be bidding farewell to Justin Sellers (for Hairston), Jerry Sands (for Kemp), Elian Herrera (for Uribe), and Scott Van Slyke (for Rivera).
Of course, rarely is it ever that simple, for much has changed since they left, particularly in the middle infield. Mark Ellis is now lost until July due to his leg surgery, Dee Gordon probably would have been back in the minors by now if the injury situation hadn’t destroyed all roster flexibility, and Sellers may have his own injury concerns after being scratched from Wednesday’s lineup with leg numbness. That means the club that these veterans are returning to has no obvious second baseman, a shortstop who may not be up to the task, and could be without the main backup at both positions.
But let’s start with the obvious moves first. When Kemp & Rivera are both back, Van Slyke & Sands are each going back down. Van Slyke’s pinch-hit homer aside, neither has done a whole lot in limited time and neither is served better by riding the bench in the bigs than playing every day in the minors. I’m hardly Rivera’s biggest fan, but he’ll provide the righty alternative at first base that James Loney sorely needs and fit in with Bobby Abreu & Tony Gwynn into a left-field trio that could actually be productive if used properly.
For Hairston, well, you’ve got some infield decisions to make, and that depends in large part on Sellers. If Sellers goes to the disabled list, then he’s an easy swap for Hairston, though that comes with the downside of having to rely on Gordon (who may not be ready) and Hairston (who looked awful there in camp) at shortstop. That’d leave you with some combination of Hairston & Adam Kennedy at third and Ivan De Jesus & Herrera at second, with some mixing between the two groups. When Uribe returns, De Jesus would almost certainly be farmed out, since Herrera has played surprisingly well in his short time with the team.
If Sellers can avoid the DL, De Jesus would go down today for Hairston, probably leaving Herrera as the primary second baseman. When Uribe returns, you could send down Herrera (if you need to keep Sellers for shortstop or if he can’t keep up his hot start), or even Gordon, if he’s still struggling.
Honestly, I’d really like to see what happens if De Jesus would ever be given a real shot at every day play, and the absence of Ellis would seem to be a prime opportunity for that. But there seems to be almost no route for that to happen, not with the presence of at least five others who can spot at second and the organization’s complete reluctance to play him, calling him up only after squeezing the non-roster Herrera onto the 40-man.
Much depends on Sellers’ health, Gordon’s play, and whether this club can actually get through a full week without having to deal with another injury. But there’s always a bright side: the more healthy players you have, the less chance of having to see Aaron Miles again.
Following Monday’s 3-1 win over Arizona, Matt Kemp was placed on the disabled list thanks to soreness in his left hamstring, and as you can imagine, that’s leading to a lot of doom-and-gloom predictions for the surprising Dodgers around baseball. It’s not great, of course, but it’s absolutely the right thing to do: the Dodgers had been without Kemp for May anyway (.212/.341/.303), and this at least allows him to properly heal without rushing back and causing a long-term problem.
Jerry Sands is coming back up to take his place, and while his struggles this year have been well-documented, at least he’s been better lately, with three homers for Albuquerque this week. If anything, this is going to lead to some pretty interesting roster maneuvering for Don Mattingly, and I’m intrigued to see how he’ll handle it. He’s shown little inclination to use Scott Van Slyke this far, and now you’ve got Sands, a very similar player who had fallen behind Van Slyke, and Elian Herrera, who everyone knows little about.
Gwynn will be the primary center fielder with Kemp on the shelf, which Mattingly doesn’t think will be more than 15 days. But Mattingly also wants to make sure Gwynn doesn’t get overused, and said he would use Andre Ethier in center field for “two or three games” with Kemp out.
I’ll place that under “I’ll believe it when I see it,” because, wow. Imagine a defensive alignment that features Bobby Abreu in right, Ethier in center, and let’s say Sands in right? Sands and Van Slyke are at least adequate at worst, but in general that might be the worst defensive outfield we’ve seen in years.
I doubt that happens too much, though, because if Gwynn’s great glove isn’t enough to overcome his lousy bat in left, it just might in center, and if Gwynn does get a day off, Herrera has experience there. Since Van Slyke has little experience at first, my guess is that we’ll see him – if we ever do – sharing time with Bobby Abreu in left, while Sands sees more time at first base than anywhere else.
And that’s not a bad thing, you know? Though I admit it’s hard to see Mattingly wanting to put in both young players at the same time, you could have both Abreu and James Loney out against tough lefties, and that immediately strengthens what had been shaping up to be a horrendous bench. (Herrera hits from both sides, increasing flexibility.)
We’ll miss Kemp, but I’m glad to see him get the time to heal properly, especially with the Dodgers enjoying such a cushion, and the spate of injuries suddenly gives Mattingly some fascinating new options. (And leaves Albuquerque with like, one outfielder.)
For the first ten minutes or so of a gorgeous Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, the story of the day seemed like it would be about the inevitable regression back to reality from Ted Lilly, who allowed singles to each of the first four Colorado hitters plus a double steal and left the first inning down 3-0.
Three wild hours later, I’d be surprised if anyone even remembers that Lilly pitched in this game at all.
The fun started in the bottom of the third when Matt Kemp, who had already driven in the first Dodger run on a groundout in the first, bounced out to Troy Tulowitzki but was noticeably limping while trying to beat the throw. He was removed from the game, throwing his glove at the dugout wall out of frustration, clearly still bothered by the sore left hamstring which he first injured last weekend in Chicago. Honestly, I wish he’d have received a day off before this.
On most days, losing Kemp alone would be a death knell for this offense, but amazingly, it nearly ended up being a net positive in just the fifth inning alone. Kemp was replaced in center field by Tony Gwynn, moving over from left, and in the top of the fifth Gwynn turned in a highlight-reel catch off the bat of Carlos Gonzalez – a ball that a hobbled Kemp almost certainly wouldn’t have come close to. In the bottom of the inning, Colorado starter Alex White completely fell apart, loading the bases on a Justin Sellers single and walks to Gwynn & Mark Ellis. Bobby Abreu, batting in Kemp’s spot, stroked a double to the left-center field gap, scoring three and putting the Dodgers up 5-4.
But if losing Kemp wasn’t quite enough, Andre Ethier quickly followed him, getting ejected (along with Don Mattingly) for arguing balls and strikes after getting called out looking immediately after Abreu’s hit. Though Ethier had a case – the strike zone this entire series has been all over the place – generally you’d like your second-best hitter to realize that the team’s main threat just left the game not ten minutes earlier, because then you end up with a lineup that looked, at the time, like this:
Gwynn CF/MEllis 2B/Abreu LF/Van Slyke RF/Loney 1B/AJEllis C/Kennedy 3B/Sellers SS
There might be something that stands out to you about that lineup, and it’s not that it looks Giants-level bad on the surface without the two big guns, or even that we finally got to see Scott Van Slyke actually get into a game (and he was more than impressive with a two-RBI double, a walk, a steal, and a laser of a throw from right field to third base). It’s that A.J. Ellis, conqueror of worlds, god among men, follower of me on Twitter, batted higher in the lineup than his usual eighth spot, and was still productive. I know! I couldn’t believe it either.
It’s greatly shortchanging to merely say Ellis “was productive”, of course. Down 3-1 in the second, he singled to right, scoring James Loney with the second run. In the fourth, he grounded out, but only because Colorado third baseman Chris Nelson made a fantastic play on an Ellis rocket. And in the fifth, the inning that saw the Dodgers score six to go from down 4-2 to up 8-4, Ellis came up to the plate against Colorado reliever Matt Reynolds with two men on. Ellis blasted his third home run of the season to left field, driving in three and setting a career high with four runs batted in. (He would also, of course, walk later in the game, as is custom.)
So that’s where we are, apparently, right now on May 13. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball. A.J. Ellis is hitting .317/.462/.512 on his way to certain enshrinement in Cooperstown. And I’m hoping that Kemp actually takes a few days off to rest his hamstring, because suddenly, the Dodgers have more outfield depth than they know what to do with, as Van Slyke and the castoff Abreu demand playing time.
Just where we thought we’d be in April, right?
