Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw: Los Angeles Dodgers' Only True Hope

The Dodgers just finished a 12-game home stand which was, at the beginning, seen as a much-needed breath of fresh air, a moment to rally the troops and attempt to stop the bleeding. Thirteen days ago the Dodgers were five games under .500 coming off a tough road trip that they managed to salvage by going 5-5.

They were knee deep (and further sinking) in a husband-wife-commissioner ménage a trios that continued to play a factor in the team's struggles, hinder their successes and lower their morale.

To be fair, though, the aforementioned ménage a trios was affecting far more than just the three parties and the players/coaching staff. Dodger Stadium employees have been and continue to be affected as do the fans and the city of Los Angeles. The drama worsens everyday as the plot continues to thicken.

The sun is almost always shining above Dodger Stadium yet amidst all the speculation this season, there has been an invisible layer of thick menacing fog. Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw have worked wonders as a beacon of hope, shining through the fog with their MVP- and Cy Young-caliber play.

Baseball has a long and rich history that spans several different “eras” (accompanying their own unique styles of play) and despite the mass amount of talent the game has seen over 150 years there have only been four players to reach the “40-40” plateau. The first to do so was Jose Canseco in 1988. Since then, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Soriano have also joined the club.

Matt Kemp, no matter how poorly the rest of this first half and the second half go for the Dodgers, is on pace to be just the fifth person to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a regular season.

Kemp is currently sitting comfortably towards the top of every major (and also the minor) statistically categories in baseball.

He is seventh in runs scored (50), sixth in walks (42), he has the fifth highest number of hits (91), fourth most steals (21), third best on-base percentage (.418), third most RBI (60), the second highest batting average (.329), second highest OPS (1.043), and the second most extra base hits (38). He leads the NL in games played (78 of 79), slugging percentage (.625), total bases (173), home runs (21) and intentional walks (10).

You might have to go back up and read that a second time to fully grasp what Matt Kemp is doing. He is hitting clean-up on a team with the seventh fewest runs scored and sixth worst on-base percentage. Kemp is dominating offensively as a power hitter, contact hitter and as a “speed on the bases” guy.

He is thriving in spite of it all. If Kemp plays the remaining 83 games the way he played his first 78 he will become the fifth member of the 40-40 club and should hands down be named National League MVP.

The Matt Kemp equivalent on the mound is of course Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw has had an easier rise to the top as a Dodger. Unlike Kemp, who has struggled in past seasons, he dominated in the minors (starting his first game at just 18) and since being called up to the show (May 24, 2008) Kershaw has been considered the Dodgers' “ace” and number one pitcher in their rotation.

He has never been a high winning percentage guy (possibly the fault of the team around him), but since he was called up early in 2008 he has been a dominant force on the mound and had the respect of the entire league.

In 2009, his first full season, he led the Major Leagues in opposing batting average (.200), opposing slugging percentage (.282) and hits per nine innings (6.26). His ERA that season was a slim 2.79 and he fanned 185 batters.

Kershaw has managed to do exactly what Kemp has done thus far in 2011, thrive in a harsh environment full of uncertainty and discomfort.

Kershaw currently has the league's 12th best ERA despite it being under 3.00 (currently 2.93), he has pitched the third most complete games (three) and the second most shutouts (two). He has pitched the second most innings (116.2), recorded the second lowest WHIP (1.03), has allowed the fewest hits (88) and has struck out the most hitters (128).

Opposing hitters are hitting just .210 off him this year (third in the National League) and they have an on-base percentage of .267 (second in the league).

I don’t claim to be a true baseball historian but I do know how to read a box score and evaluate a guy (whether it is an offensive player or a pitcher) on a curve depending on the team he plays for and the situation he plays in. I watch two guys play every night (well, one of them every five nights) that go out there and grind. They work harder than the guy to their left and the guy to their right and it is finally paying off.

Kemp and Kershaw wake up every day knowing they might not get their next paycheck yet they still are performing at elite levels. I hate to sound cynical, but what percentage of Americans would be the best (or one of the best) at their job if they were not guaranteed a paycheck every 14 days?

I used to think the Dodgers needed a miracle to run their way out of this pickle or Marc Cuban to buy the team and rescue it from the gloom that it currently rests in. Now I just think they needs Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw.

In the eyes of Kemp and Kershaw’s teammates, there is probably nothing better than an MVP and a Cy Young trophy to cure the Dodger Blues (yes, pun intended).