Padres News: Matt Kemp is Heating Up
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Don’t look now San Diego Padres fans, but slugging outfielder Matt Kemp is starting to swing the bat with some authority. After his Saturday afternoon performance in which he went three for four with a homer and five RBI’s, Kemp spoke about the team.
Kemp spoke about not being concerned with the amount of home runs he has, but rather the amount of wins the team has. That shows that his main concern is the team, and not individual accolades. It is refreshing to have a slugger be so concerned about the team rather than his home run total. Perhaps he is just aware the home runs will come in time.
Kemp has six hits in his last 12 at bats, and could be on the verge of one of his patented hot streaks. The drive which sailed over the right center field home run was a classic Kemp home run. When Matt Kemp is on he powers the ball to the opposite field. He appears to be utilizing his whole body now in his swing.
I never had any fear that Matt Kemp was hurt, I just felt his mechanics were out of whack. He seemed to be using his arms too much in the past few weeks and has slowly made the adjustment to fix his issue. The defense he has been playing led me to make the deduction that his health is not an issue.
If Matt Kemp were to heat up it would take the burden off of Justin Upton, who has been carrying the load offensively for the past month or so. Derek Norris has too carried his share of the load, so one should not take anything away from the young catcher.
The return of Yonder Alonso has brought a sense of balance to the team. He has gone 8 for 15 since his return from the disabled list. Having him in the middle of the line-up provides a clutch left hand hitting bat in the line-up.
With Kemp heating up and both Norris and Upton hitting well the teams offense can be really formidable. Add a healthy Wil Myers to the equation and the Padres could off and running. Matt Kemp is surely an important cog to this machine. He must stay healthy and perform to his natural abilities for the Padres to have a serious shot at competing in the National League.
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James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.