Matt Kemp Lands On The Disabled List

In what can fairly easily be described as a Dodgers fan's worst nightmare, Matt Kemp was placed on the disabled list after Monday night's game with a strained hamstring. Kemp did not play Monday, snapping his 399 consecutive games played streak which was the active leader in all of MLB.  Jerry Sands, whom Dodger fans will remember from last summer, has been called up to take his place.

I can't help but feel like I jinxed Kemp just a little bit. I've already gone over how I somehow jinx baseball players, and last month I was singing Kemp's praises as loudly as anyone with a voice.  Do I really think I had something to do with this? Of course not, but it's pretty weird. The guy hasn't been on the DL since 2007, and now, shortly after writing a few posts about how he's easily one of the top 3 players in the game, he's hurt. Ugh.

This is going to be a real test for the Dodgers. Everyone knows how hot Kemp was last month, and he leaves a large hole in centerfield as well as the batting order.  Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said the primary centerfielder for the time being will be Tony Gwynn Jr. but Andre Ethier could see some time there as well.  Sands is primarily a left fielder, so I'm not quite sure how he's going to fit in. He can play first base as well, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him start in place of James Loney when there's a lefty on the hill for the other team.

There was more news concerning the Dodgers and the disabled list on Monday too, which made me much happier than the Kemp news. Juan Uribe has also been placed on the DL, with a sore wrist. Now I've never rooted for a player to be injured, but I sure don't mind Uribe being out of commission for awhile. Hopefully someone can step up and take his place permanently.  What is scary though, is how many LA players are on the DL right now. Kemp, Uribe, Rivera, and Hairston have all been placed on the disabled list in the past week.  Not exactly what you want when you own the best record in baseball.

While the timing isn't great, it isn't terrible either. The only stiff competition the Dodgers will face in the next two weeks is the Cardinals. Other than St. Louis, they'll square off against the Diamondbacks, Padres, and Astros, so this is definitely survivable. But the pitching staff is going to to have to continue being lights out, and guys like Ethier, Abreu, AJ and Mark Ellis, and Dee Gordon are really going to have to step up in the hitting department. Beast Mode may never sleep, but it does need to recuperate for a little while.

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