It is far too early to render judgment on Don Mattingly's tenure as Dodgers hitting coach. But in the first six games since Mattingly took over, the Dodgers, a club that averaged 4.1 runs a game before the All-Star break, have averaged six runs a game.

Even if that figure is slightly skewed by the 16 they scored Monday at Colorado, it is worth noting that they scored at least six in three of those games.

One player who has shown a marked improvement under Mattingly, whether by coincidence or not, is Matt Kemp. He has batted .345 (10-for-29) with two homers and four RBIs. Perhaps more important, Kemp, the Dodgers' runaway strikeout leader with 108, has struck out just four times in 32 plate appearances.

On the other hand, Andruw Jones hasn't been much better than ...More