Coors Field wall 2, Kemp 0 -- and Dodgers worried
The Los Angeles Dodgers got a huge scare when center fielder Matt Kemp left Tuesday's game against the Rockies in the first inning after crashing into the center-field wall for the second consecutive game.
Kemp ran into the wall at full speed while trying to catch a drive by Josh Rutledge, a ball that bounced away for a triple. Kemp was down on the field for several minutes, but after consultation with team trainer Sue Falsone he remained in the game. However, just two batters later Kemp was removed from the game.
It was the second straight night Kemp had a run-in with the fence at Coors Field. He also crashed into the wall in the eighth inning on Monday night.
The good news for the Dodgers is that Kemp didn't show any concussion symptoms, but he did suffer a right knee contusion and was taken for X-rays on his jaw as a precaution.
The Dodgers have already been without Kemp for an extended period this year; he missed 51 games before the All-Star break with a pair of left hamstring strains. The Dodgers were 24-27 (.471) without Kemp, averaging 3.47 runs per game. But with Kemp available to play the team is 45-34 (.570) and has scored 5.08 runs per game.
If Kemp has to miss a significant amount of time, the Dodgers' playoff aspirations might be dashed.
