The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks last night. But that was not their biggest loss of the evening. The team placed outfielder Matt Kemp on the 15-day disabled list following a strained left hamstring.
The timing could not be worse for Kemp or the Dodgers. Before the injury Kemp was having one of the best starts of any player in the league. In 34 games, he was batting .329 with 12 home runs and 28 RBIs. He led the Dodgers in hits, home runs and batting average. Kemp was one of the main reasons why the Dodgers have surprised the league by coming out to a hot start to lead the National League West with a 24-12 record.
Without Kemp, the Dodgers will have a major hole in the lineup and in centerfield. The Dodgers will look towards Andre Either to pick up the slack at the plate and Tony Gwynn Jr. to provide defense in the outfield. Kemp is eligible to return to play May 29th against the Milwaukee Brewers. Until then, the Dodgers have called up Jerry Sands from Triple-A Albuquerque.
Prior to his injury Kemp has been the epitome of consistent. He had played in Major League leading 399 consecutive games. His last missed game occurred on Aug. 18, 2009.
As for the game, the Arizona Diamondbacks broke the Dodgers' five-game winning streak by beating them 5-1 in the first game since Kemp was placed on the disabled list.
Diamondback pitcher Wade Miley was able to get out of several jams and limit the Dodgers to one run in 6 2/3 innings to get the win. The single run came on a Mark Ellis home run. The win lifts Miley's record to 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA.
Chad Billingsley, pitching for the Dodgers, was not as fortunate. He consistently let men on base and was unable to avoid damage. The Diamondbacks started the fifth inning with six consecutive singles, eventually scoring three runs. Billingsley gave up four runs in four plus innings. He has struggled in his last five starts, beginning with a 12-0 loss to the Astros. In that time he is 0-3 with a 5.34 ERA.
The Dodgers and Diamondbacks will next play again May 21 to 23 in Arizona.