Best hope it works: Dodgers give struggling Matt Kemp his first day off of the season

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And on the 63rd game, Matt Kemp rested.

Better cross your fingers.

Kemp is in a monstrous slump (0-for-15, five strikeouts) that is on the tail end of a general decline since his incredible start.

Kemp is the only Dodger to have started every game this season, and had played every inning but three in an extra-inning affair.

He looks completely lost at the plate, which Manager Joe Torre has not only picked up on, but given into. With Monday an off-day, Kemp now gets a much needed two-day break.

‘He’s been fighting himself,’ Torre said. ‘(Saturday) night he looked like he was just trying to put the ball in play, and that’s certainly not what we want from him.

‘He goes through streaks like that, but he just doesn’t look as sure of himself. It’s been hanging on. I just thought let’s try it, especially with the day off tomorrow, just give him a mind break more so than the physical part. He’s strong as an ox, but the mind stuff wears you down.’

Kemp started the season like he was trying out for baseball’s all-time team. The ball seemed to explode off his bat. He had seven home runs in the first 14 games. He’s had three since.

The rest of his numbers have followed suit and slowly declined. He was still batting .299 with an impressive .561 slugging percentage on May 4.

Now he has a .266 average and .472 slugging percentage. He’s mostly looked like someone who’s hit .241 since May 4. The outside breaking ball is once again death to almost everyone of his at-bats.

‘When you’re in a good groove, there can be flash bulbs going off in center field and you wouldn’t even notice it,’ Torre said. ‘And there are other days you hear whispering in the upper deck.

‘That’s what makes this game very tough to play, because you sort of have to fix it while you’re doing it. You don’t have three or four days to say, ‘I’ll get ready for the next game.’ ‘

Fixing Kemp is of big-time importance to the Dodgers. With Andre Ethier still finding his groove while coming back from a broken pinkie and Manny Ramirez looking like an aging slugger, the Dodgers very much need Kemp to regain his stroke.

Team faithful best cross their fingers.

[Update: Kemp came into Sunday’s game in the top of the ninth and then struck out in the bottom of the inning.]

--Steve Dilbeck