Ethier Continues Record Setting April

Ethier has been spectacular once again to
start 2011.

The Los Angeles Dodgers offense has not had many reasons to smile through their first 26 games of their season.

Four of the starting eight for the Dodgers are batting under .250, including injured shortstop Rafael Furcal. Even though center fielder Matt Kemp has gotten off to an impressive start after a dismal 2010 season, it has been the man to his left that has stolen the show in April.

Right fielder Andre Ethier has kicked off the 2011 campaign much like he did a year ago.

Tuesday night, Ethier broke former manager Joe Torre's April hitting streak record set back in 1971. It was a double in the first inning that broke the record and extended his mark to 23 straight games.

Oddly enough Torre went on to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award that season for the St. Louis Cardinals. Ethier has done his best Torre impersonation, posting a .380 batting average and .451 on-base percentage thus far.

The one-time All-Star has been known as a fast starter since making his Major League debut in 2006.

Ethier suffered fractured pinky bone on his hand back in May of last year, cutting into his hot start and never seemed to be the same hitter upon returning. Prior to the injury, Ethier had been leading the majors in all three Triple Crown categories with a .392 average, 38 runs batted in and tied for the NL lead with 11 home runs.

Now, with the Dodgers off to a rather sluggish start at 13-13 under rookie manager Don Mattingly, they can ill afford another injury from their star right fielder.

The former Sun Devil has slowly become the face of the Dodgers franchise and will need to see the organization head in a different direction if want to keep it that way and have Ethier's stay in Chavez Ravine a permanent one. Los Angeles was bailed out Wednesday afternoon on the heels of Ethier's third home run of season.

The hit came in the 10th inning in a 5-4 win over the first-place Florida Marlins, extending his Major League record to 24 games.

You can't imagine that even Dodgers knew what they were getting not only a great player, but a man of character when they traded for him in a deal with the Oakland Athletics in exchange for the often troublesome Milton Bradley back in December of 2005.

Ethier has catapulted himself to early discuss of the NL MVP Award, he would be the first Dodger to win the award since Kirk Gibson did so in 1988.

The Dodgers are off Thursday, but will have Ethier look to continue his hot start at home against San Diego left-hander Clayton Richard Friday night.

Dodgers Need Kemp To Win

Hopefully Kemp and the Dodgers
will have reason to smile in
2011.

The 2009 season seems so long ago, yet, not so far away for Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp.

During the '09 campaign Kemp, 26, put together his best big league season by posting a .297 average with 26 home runs and reaching the century mark for the first time in his career, driving in 101 runs.

While being productive at the plate, winning his first career Silver Slugger, Kemp was also among the game's elite on defense, capturing his first Gold Glove.

He showed he could rise to the occasion and play at his best when the pressure was at its highest, homering off St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Chris Carpenter in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, helping the Dodgers advance to their second straight NLCS.

2010 came with high expectations for Kemp and seemed as if he could become only the fifth member to join the exclusive 40/40 club in Major League Baseball history.

With that came a lot of pressure and disappointment.

Despite Kemp seting a career-high in home runs with 28, every other offensive category dropped off significantly from his previous season totals. Kemp's average dipped all the way down to .259 with an on-base percentage of .310. After stealing a career high 34 bases in 42 attempts in '09, Kemp's base-running also took a hit, being caught stealing 15 times in only 34 attempts. Most people around baseball even thought Kemp took a step back defensively.

Whatever happened last year, Kemp is determined to put it behind him and live up to the expectations the Dodgers have set for him, losing 16 pounds by cutting ice cream out of his diet. There was a different type of energy with the club this spring, an energy not felt not since Joe Torre's first year as manager back in 2008.

Kemp enjoyed a wonderful spring, launching five home runs and hitting .290. The Dodgers and rookie skipper Don Mattingly will need Kemp to rebound if they want to capture their third NL West title in four years.

So far the season looks promising for Kemp and Co. beating the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants on Opening Night, 2-1. Kemp went 1-for-1, scoring both Dodger runs and drawing a career-high three walks in a game.