The Los Angeles Dodgers entered Sunday with a 22-11 record, the best record in baseball, but received some bad news. All-world center fielder Matt Kemp left the game against the Colorado Rockies after just three innings on Sunday, presumably with a left hamstring injury of some sort.
Kemp made the final out of the third inning, then as he went back to the dugout to grab his glove he met with assistant trainer Greg Harrel and manager Don Mattingly. It seemed like Kemp was pleading to stay in the game, as he slammed his glove down in the dugout after getting removed.
Kemp was a late scratch from the Dodgers lineup last Sunday at Wrigley Field in Chicago with tightness in his left hamstring, and he felt the effects this week. Kemp went 3-for-3 with a walk on Monday, but was running gingerly both on the bases and in the field.
Kemp grounded out to shortstop in each of his first two at-bats and is currently in an 0-for-14 slump. He has no home runs in 11 games in May after hitting 12 home runs in 23 games in April, setting a new Dodgers franchise record.
"Matt's no different than anybody else. He's not going to hit .430. He's going to go through periods," said Mattingly on Saturday. "Guys that hit home runs get hot, hit them for a week, then slow down, then have another hot streak. I don't think it has to do with his hammy."
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