Giants couldn't catch Matt Kemp napping on the bases

Clayton Kershaw's greatness is expected, so the most pleasantly surprising sign for the Dodgers in their 2-1 opening day victory over the San Francisco Giants was this: Matt Kemp ran the bases well.

Kershaw and Tim Lincecum were putting up zeroes into the sixth inning, when the Dodgers loaded the bases with one out. Kemp was on third base, Lincecum threw a pitch in the dirt, and Giants catcher Buster Posey thought he had a shot at catching Kemp napping.

"I just thought, especially with a ball in the dirt, we might have had a chance of catching him with his head down," Posey said.

Instead, Posey threw the ball into left field for an error, and Kemp scored the game's first run. Kemp was rather amused by Posey's thought.

"My foot was on the bag when he threw it," Kemp said. "I was already there."

For Kemp, whose base-running blunders baffled Dodgers fans and coaches last year, the evening was a tour de force on the bases. He raced from first to third on an overthrow by Giants shortstop Miguel Tejada in the sixth inning, and he stole a base and scored the game-winning run in the eighth inning.

That's one stolen base in one chance for Kemp, who stole 19 bases in 34 tries last season. Kemp has said he would like to steal 40 bases this season.

Other notes from the Giants and Dodgers clubhouses:

-- San Francisco Manager Bruce Bochy said he appreciated that infielder Juan Uribe formed a heart with his hands when he caught the manager's attention during pregame introductions. Uribe played the previous two seasons with the Giants.

"Good guy, good person, good manager," Uribe said. "I love the guy a lot. I feel happy when I see the guy."

Uribe, who signed with the Dodgers when they were the high bidder in free agency, said he had no hard feelings toward the Giants.

"I feel happy when I play the Giants. My old friends are here," he said. "I feel happy toward the Giants. It's not like I don't like the team."

-- The Giants raved about Kershaw, who lowered his career earned-run average against San Francisco to 1.23. Kershaw has thrown 17 consecutive scoreless innings against the Giants.

"We're going to have to figure out a way to do something with him," Bochy said.

Said Posey: "That's a bad draw opening day, to face that guy in the shadows. He was electric."

-- Bill Shaikin

Photo: Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemps slides safely into second with a stolen base as Giants shortstop Miguel Tejada fields the throw in the sixth inning Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Brigette Cuneo]

To clarify, the final score was 2-1. Homer by Pat Burrell off of Broxton. Not a shutout.

[These Dodgers Suck!]

sloppy game on both sides, but it should be sufficient to con the Koolaid crowd into pulling the McCourt's chestnuts out of the fire....

[Charlie]

War in Lybia, governnment shutdown, radiation in the water. YEAH, BASEBALL.

[OldBrooklynFan]

Oh Happy Day.

[SteeleHere]

Was I the only one that had a Russell Martin flashback on Buster Posey's over-zealous and errant pickoff throw? Thank goodness he's on the Yankees.

[K]

Kemp got lucky -- this time. He'll get caught plenty this season. Looks like he likes to use his speed to try to make up for his lack of smarts, and that goes for how he plays center field too. His baserunning shenanigans no doubt are infamous in the NL, and the opposition is gonna look for it. I love aggressive baserunning, but I can't stand stupidity/not paying attention.

[Zen]

Davey Lopes just paid for himself.

[doubleD]

Kemp is a very talented doofus. He was two steps from 3rd when Posey started to throw the ball. Kemp scored that first run because he fell asleep on the basepath and Posey made an error. 9 out of 10 times he'll be out. In other words, Kemp made a mistake and got lucky!

[vtadave]

Thanks for clarifying that Brigette. ????

[Chumpy Kemp]

Leave it to Fatso Broxton to ruin the perfection.

[doubleD]

helloooo? anyone awake there? ;-)

let's try it again:

"the most pleasantly surprising sign for the Dodgers in their 2-1 opening day victory over the San Francisco Giants was this: Matt Kemp ran the bases well."

"My foot was on the bag when he threw it," Kemp said. "I was already there."

Let's get real; TV replays showed Kemp was two steps off the bag when Posey threw the ball, casually walking back to the base with his head down.

In other words, he got lucky (Posey's throwing error) when he did the wrong thing (falling asleep on the basebath) and scored the run anyway.

He's an extremely gifted player, no doubt. For Dodger fans, they are hoping he can live up to his great potential this year, as opposed to the half-hearted effort he put up last year.

[Since '58]

Were we watching the same game? It looked to me that Kemp was already on the bag when the throw sailed down the line. Give the guy his due. Let's see if he's serious about correcting his f-ups of last year. I mean, he did walk three times last night against Lincicum, who kept throwing those low and away sliders. When was the last time he walked three times in a WEEK??
I'm more concerned about Broxton, who escaped again with a save.
One of 162.

[doubleD]

they had an angle going down the 3rd base line and he was slowly walking back, with his head down. he looked well off the bag to me. either he's the most talented player to ever employ the deke, or he's a nimrod that got lucky. like I said, (obviously just my opinion) 9 out of 10 times he'll be out. a good throw would have had him!

[bluz1st]

double d is correct, I saw the same thing. Kemp was casually strolling back to the bag with his BACK to the catcher. Had Posey thrown the ball immediately, instead of waiting for Panda to start begging/pleading for the throw, Kemp would have been thrown out.

[Chumpy Kemp]

Kemp is a genius! Now that he has shown he can do something positive, he can slough off the rest of the season, just like he always does!