No, really, the sky is falling: Matt Kemp scratched from Dodgers lineup with tight hamstring

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

And ain’t that special?

Matt Kemp, who at times has seemed a lone beacon in the Dodgers’ offensive darkness, was scratched from the starting lineup Friday with a tight left hamstring.

When a team is on a roll …

Kemp is enjoying a career year, leading the National League in home runs (18), while second in RBIs (53) and fifth in batting average (.329). That’s sniffin’ at triple-crown territory.

All this for a team (29-35) that entered Friday tied for last in the National League West.

Kemp, who has played in 268 consecutive games, was originally in the lineup. He was removed about an hour before the Dodgers’ game in Colorado, with Tony Gwynn Jr. moving to center and rookie Trent Oeltjen starting in left and batting second.

Casey Blake moved into Kemp’s cleanup spot.

-- Steve Dilbeck