Matt Kemp may be back Tuesday
Still within 4.5 games of the first place San Francisco Giants entering the finale of the weekend series with their heated rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers hope to get slugging outfielder Matt Kemp back for Tuesday’s clash with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The 27-year-old Kemp – who is batting .315 with a .931 OPS, 18 home runs and 56 RBI – bruised a shoulder after violently colliding with the wall at Coors Field on August 28. Since then, he is 3-for-30, including an 0-for-4 performance on Friday night in his team’s 5-2 loss to the Giants. In that game, Kemp was 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
“In any baseball shoulder, it’s always a little bit messed up,” Dodgers trainer Sue Falsone told reporters. “He has a little bit of fraying. We feel like the issue is really coming from the inflammation in the back part of the shoulder.”
To treat the inflammation, Kemp was administered a shot of cortisone.
Even with the additions of Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez to accompany Kemp and Andre Ethier, the Dodgers have struggled offensively recently. Over seven games in September, they have scored 22 runs but have managed a 4-3 record.
The Dodgers, which are 74-66 and a half-game behind St. Louis for the second wild card spot, recently lose right-handed starting pitcher Chad Billingsley for the rest of the season because of an elbow injury.
