Dodgers News: Teammates Excited Over Kemp’s Resurgence
In Tuesday’s 8-4 win over the Atlanta Braves, Kemp went 3-for-4 with two homes runs and four RBI’s. In Wednesday’s win, Kemp went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI’s, including a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning.
According to Steve Dilbeck of the LA Times, Zack Greinke is excited with what he’s seen from Kemp:
I’ve never seen him play like that, because I wasn’t here (in 2011) so it’s pretty exciting to see,” said right-hander Zack Greinke.
Although Kemp had been mentioned in numerous trade rumors, A.J. Ellis believes it will be good for the team if the outfielder can continue his recent play for the remainder of the season:
The balls he’s starting to hit are reminiscent of the balls that he was hitting back in 2011 and April 2012,” said catcher A.J. Ellis. “It’s really exciting for us. It just lengthens our lineup and makes us a more dangerous team.”
As for Kemp, he thinks he is slowly returning to form:
It’s always good to run,” Kemp said. “Right now I’m not as fast as I want to be, but be aggressive and make some things happen. It just feels good to be in position to score a run or take that extra base. That’s important, especially with the guys we have in the lineup.”
After starting the season in center field, Kemp was benched in late May, then moved to left field. Carl Crawford’s sprained his ankle created the opportunity for Kemp to receive regular playing time.
Most recently, Kemp was moved to right field after Yasiel Puig suffered a wrist injury. Kemp spoke of feeling more comfortable in right and his play has reflected it. In his last 10 games, Kemp is hitting .472 with three home runs, 11 RBIs and a 1.353 OPS.
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