Major League Baseball announced today that Matt Kemp will be suspended 4 games for his role in starting a fight with Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba. Torrealba was hit with a 3-game suspension.
I would think Kemp would appeal, especially considering the Dodgers are about to open a 4-game set against the Chicago Cubs, who just happen to own the best record in baseball. Considering that he's one of the rare guys who's actually hitting, he probably should appeal.
I have a couple of thoughts on this. The first is about the fight itself. I gotta be honest on this one - I think Kemp overreacted. I know that if the situation were reversed, I would think the initial shove was pretty cheap. He was probably just pissed that he struck out and they were getting blanked by a bad team, so he lost his cool. Nothing Torrealba did in my mind was worthy of flipping out like that.
With that said, my second thought is that 4 games is too much. 3 is more realistic. It's not like they were throwing haymakers at each other - it was just shoving and wrestling around. I've seen much worse. So, I would think the suspension may get cut down a game.
When Kemp eventually does sit, Delwyn Young will probably be the one to benefit the most, as he can play outfield and switch hit.
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