There were a lot of great things that happened in Wednesday night’s exciting 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Most notably was the outstanding pitching performance by Zack Greinke, who held the Phillies to only two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out 11. There was also Hanley Ramirez’s 2 for 4 night that included his dramatic 8th inning solo home run that neutralized the Jayson Nix solo home run in the top half of the inning. There was Puig’s 2 for 4 night that included a double and a triple driving in two runs. There were also the 2 for 4 nights of back-up catcher Drew Butera and substitute first baseman Scott Van Slyke.

But lost in all of the pomp and circumstance on Wednesday night was another 2 for 4 performance which, for the most part, went completely unnoticed – the 2 for 4 night of Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp.

Kemp entered Wednesday night’s contest hitting a meager .196 (10 for 51), however six of those ten hits have been for extra bases – three doubles and three home runs. And even though neither of Kemp’s hits on Wednesday night drove in any runs, both were doubles, now giving him five in only 55 at bats and raising his batting average to .218 – baby steps indeed, but steps in the right direction. Kemp also scored the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Juan Uribe in the bottom of the second inning.

Kemp is showing signs of returning to the 2011 version of Matt Kemp – the one we have all so desperately been waiting for. (Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

As most Dodger fans know, Kemp has been at the center of controversy over his “I am not a fourth outfielder” comments and has been widely criticized for his 2010-like at bats this season since coming off the DL for last season’s preventable and near career-ending ankle injury. But for those who closely watched Kemp’s at bats on Wednesday night, they noticed what appeared to be a much more compact yet powerful swing on pitches that were middle in – pitches that are normally very difficult for a right-handed batter to get around on. It also appeared that Kemp kept his hands up a little higher which helped him come through the zone a lot quicker.

When you put all of these things together and you lay off bad pitches that are low and away, good things happen – things like hard hit doubles down the left field line and into the left field gap.

Is the real Matt Kemp finally back? The jury is still out on that one. But if Wednesday night’s game is any indication of what is to come, you can look foward to seeing Matt Kemp’s name in the pomp and circumstance – and soon.