The Dodgers head into the final game of the season tonight against the Diamondbacks with several statistical marks still in play, most of which involve 2011 National League MVP Matt Kemp.

Batting Average

Not going to happen. Jose Reyes got a bunt single in the first inning Wednesday afternoon then came out of the game, ending his season with a league-leading .337 average. Kemp needs 12 hits in 12 at-bats to pass Reyes. Ryan Braun begins his night at .3345, needing three hits, either in three or four at-bats, to win the batting title.

Home Runs

Kemp is tied with Prince Fielder atop the National League at 38 home runs, one ahead of Albert Pujols, who could have two games left if there is an NL wild card playoff on Thursday. Kemp has nine hits in 27 at-bats with three home runs off Joe Saunders, tonight's Arizona starter. Two of those home runs have come this season, and the other came on October 2 last year.

The only Los Angeles Dodger ever to lead the league in home runs was Adrian Beltre, who hit 48 home runs in 2004. I get the feeling that if the season was three weeks longer, Beltre might set a new career high this season. He has 32 homers this season, which includes an astonishing 11 circuit clouts in his last 14 games.

There were seven Brooklyn Dodgers to lead the league in home runs: Duke Snider (43, 1956), Dolph Camilli (34, 1941), Jack Fournier (27, 1924), Tim Jordan (12 in 1908, 12 in 1906), Harry Lumley (nine in 1904), Jimmy Sheckard (nine, 1903), and Oyster Burns (13, 1890).

RBI

The only LA Dodger to lead the league in runs batted in was Tommy Davis, with 153 RBI in 1962. Kemp leads the NL with 124 RBI, four more than Fielder. The only Dodgers to ever lead the league in both home runs and RBI were Dolph Camilli (34 homers, 120 RBI in 1941) and Oyster Burns (13, 128 in 1890).

Kemp is tied with Mike Piazza (1997) for third-most RBI in a single season by an LA Dodger (and tied for 12th on the all-time franchise list, including Brooklyn years), one behind Shawn Green (2001) for second.

40/40

Kemp needs two home runs to become the fifth member of the 40/40 club. This we know. But, Kemp is also tied for second in the NL with Drew Stubbs and Emilio Bonifacio at 40 stolen bases. Cameron Maybin has 39 steals. Stubbs did not pick up a stolen base in the Reds' final game earlier today. Kemp is trying to become the first player in baseball to finish in the top two in the league in both home runs and stolen bases since Hank Aaron in 1963.

Runs

Kemp also leads the league in runs scored at 114, a five-run lead on Braun. The only LA Dodger to lead the league in runs was Brett Butler (112, 1991). There were eight Brooklyn Dodgers that led the league in runs scored: Duke Snider (126 in 1955, 120 in 1954, 132 in 1953), Pee Wee Reese (132, 1949), Eddie Stanky (128, 1945), Arky Vaughan (112, 1943), Pete Reiser (117, 1941), Wee Willie Keeler (140, 1899), Hub Collins (148, 1890), and George Pinkney (134 in the American Association in 1888).

OBP

The last Dodger to post an on-base percentage of .400 or higher was Gary Sheffield, who had a .417 OBP in 2001. Kemp opens play tonight at .3991. Excluding sacrifice flies or catchers interference, if Kemp has one plate appearance tonight, he needs to reach base; if he has two or three PA, he needs to reach base twice; if he has four, five, or six PA, Kemp needs to reach base three times for a .400 OBP.

Note: if Kemp reaches base in two of four PA, his OBP will be .3997. The record book will say .400, but we know the real story.

Total Bases

Matt Kemp has 349 total bases, a lead of 13 over Braun for most in the National League, and 14 bases behind Jacoby Ellsbury for the major league lead should Kemp go off tonight. No LA Dodger has ever lead the league in total bases, and the last Dodger to do so was Snider, who had 378 total bases for the 1954 Brooklyn Dodgers.

Now, for some others...

30/30

A month ago Ted Lilly was a cinch to become the 19th pitcher to allow 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in one season. On August 26, Lilly allowed a first-inning home run to Carlos Gonzalez that hasn't landed yet, and stood at 28 home runs and 29 steals allowed. Lilly has allowed four stolen bases since then -- he is tied with John Lackey for the most steals allowed this season -- but hasn't allowed another home run, a span of five starts and 35 2/3 innings.

Hitless Wonder

It has been a miserable season for Eugenio Velez. He is 0 for 36, which would set a new major league record for position players for most at-bats without a hit in a single season, surpassing Hal Finney, a catcher who was 0 for 35 for the 1936 Pittsburgh Pirates.

Velez is also 0 for his last 45, dating back to 2010, which is tied with Bill Bergen (1909) and Craig Counsell (earlier this season) for the worst stretch of futility by a position player in major league history.

RBI, Part II

Jamey Carroll has had a fine season, hitting .287/.357/.341 in 145 games, but he also has 16 RBI, which is tied with Dave Roberts (2003) and Tony Smith (1910) for the fewest ever by a Dodger with at least 400 plate appearances. Among players in modern major league history (since 1901) with 500 plate appearances (Carroll has 507), the only two players with fewer RBI than Carroll are Enzo Hernandez (1971) and Goat Anderson (1907), each with 12.

Closing Time

Javy Guerra has pitched three straight days and four of the last five, so he is almost assuredly out for the season finale. Kenley Jansen has only pitched on back-to-back days once since returning from the disabled list four weeks ago, but he is a likely option to close tonight. Jansen needs four strikeouts for 100, and right now he could probably accomplish that by facing only two batters.

Matt Guerrier has pitched each of the last two days, so he is likely out tonight too, which is a good thing since it would ensure Guerrier becoming the first player in baseball history with exactly one save in six straight seasons.

*****

Game Time: 6:40 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

MLB Gameday

Tuesday night's battle of the Dodgers and Diamondbacks at Chase Field is a contest between a pitcher pitching his first major league game, Jarrod Parker, and a pitcher who might be pitching in his last major league game. Hiroki Kuroda makes his final start of the season tonight. He has said it is 50/50 between staying a Dodger or returning to his native Japan, per MLB.com:

"Every offseason I think the coming season will be my last," he said. "I thought that last year. You never know what happens. I think every start could be my last start. I don't know when my last year will be, I don't know when my last start will be."

When Kuroda signed a three-year, $35.3 million contract with the Dodgers in December 2007, I had no idea what to expect. The soon-to-be 33-year old was 13-6 with a 1.85 ERA with the Hiroshima Carp in 2006, but followed that up with a 12-8 season with a 3.56 ERA that was more in line with the 3.69 ERA he posted in his 1,700 innings in 11 seasons in the Japanese Central League.

Kuroda was slated to be the fourth starter behind Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, and Chad Billingsley in 2008, and it spawned my first guest post on Dodger Thoughts, a precursor of sorts to my writing here at True Blue LA. I sought an answer to the question, "What is a fourth starter?" and came to this conclusion:

What does this mean for Kuroda? If they can get more than 124 IP with an ERA+ of 96 or more out of their newest Japanese import, they will be above average in the National League, and I'd call his season a success.

Kuroda was 9-10 with a 3.73 ERA (a 112 ERA+) in 183 1/3 innings in 2008, then closed out the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS to secure the first playoff series win for the Dodgers in 20 years. Kuroda also got the only win for the Dodgers in the NLCS against the Phillies.

In 2009, Kuroda started, and won, on opening day in San Diego but then missed two months with a strained oblique. That wasn't the last of his injury concerns that season, as he also was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Rusty Ryal on August 15. Kuroda missed three weeks with a concussion, though getting hit in the head is not something easily forgotten.

You won't find a Dodger teammate that doesn't respect and admire Kuroda, especially for his warrior mentality. Though he still occasionally thinks about the line drive, he doesn't let it affect his work on the mound. "If I had run away from that problem, I might not be able to play baseball at all," Kuroda told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times last season.

Kuroda came back in September 2009 but missed the NLDS with a neck injury. He was inserted back into the rotation for the NLCS, but perhaps a bit too early as Kuroda got bombed in Game 3, allowing six runs while recording four outs.

In his four seasons with the Dodgers, Kuroda has been remarkably consistent:

He hasn't received much run support this year, or in any of his four years, as evidenced by a 41-46 career record despite being a well above average starting pitcher. At 13-16 this season, Kuroda has set career highs in both wins and losses. It's almost as if individual wins and losses aren't the best barometer of pitcher performance.

Kuroda could have been traded in July, which made sense given that the Dodgers were out of the pennant chase by then and Kuroda was one of the best starters available on the market. He could have brought some prospects for the farm system in return, but Kuroda decided to exercise his no-trade clause and remain with the Dodgers.

It was not an easy decision for Kuroda, who said on July 30, "I, like any player here, would like to win and I know how it feels to pitch in the playoffs. I know how exciting that can be, so I had to really fight to come to this conclusion." In the end, it was about loyalty for Kuroda, who wanted to remain with the team he chose nearly four years ago.

Kuroda hasn't yet made his decision whether to come back to the Dodgers or return to Japan. He has been a very good pitcher in his four years in Los Angeles, and is a player who not only wants to win but wants to win as a Dodger. It would be great to have Kuroda back for another season, but if tonight is it, thanks for everything Hiroki.

*****

Game Time: 6:40 p.m.

TV: KCAL

MLB Gameday

Dana Eveland makes the start for the Dodgers as they open their final series of the season, at Chase Field in Phoenix against the Arizona Diamondbacks. With Hiroki Kuroda and Ted Lilly in line to start the final two games of the season, the Dodgers will have received 139 starts from their planned starting five this season, including 130 from their top four.

Eveland will make the 31st and final start from the quintet of fifth starters used by the Dodgers this season. The group, led by Rubby De La Rosa, has pitched better, and longer, than the crew at the back end of the rotation last season:

Eveland has had two good starts and two bad starts, with tonight as the nominal tiebreaker of sorts. Eveland is an interesting case because with just over three years of service time he will be salary arbitration eligible this winter. He won't figure to make much in arbitration (like, under $1 million), and could be a candidate to vie for a rotation spot next spring, with the only risk of tendering him a contract this winter the specter of paying him 30 or 45 days termination pay if he is cut in the spring. He turns 28 in October.

Triple Crown Watch

Matt Kemp in his career has hit .304/.335/.500 in 39 games, including 32 starts, at Chase Field, with seven home runs. This season, Kemp has seven hits in 24 at-bats in Phoenix, including two home runs. Against tonight's starter, Daniel Hudson, Kemp has two singles in eight at-bats, and all but one of those plate appearances have come this season.

The best-case scenario for Kemp in batting average on Monday is to go 5 for 5, raising his average to .3300, while Ryan Braun goes 0 for 5 (.3298) and Jose Reyes goes 0 for 2, 3, or 4, or 1 for 5, giving Kemp the overall lead.

Kemp is tied with Albert Pujols atop the league at 37 home runs. Pujols has one home runs in 52 career plate appearances against Rodriguez in his career.

Tonight's Opponent

Up until eight days ago, Daniel Hudson had more RBI on the season (14) than Jamey Carroll. But Jamey Carroll drove in a run in three of his last six games, and has 16 RBI on the season. Carroll has three days left to break his tie with Dave Roberts (2003) and Tony Smith (1910) for fewest RBI in a season by a Dodger with at least 400 plate appearances.

Hudson is 1-1 against the Dodgers this season, but he has only allowed three runs in 16 innings, with three walks and seven strikeouts. The Dodgers are 6-9 against the Diamondbacks this season, including 3-3 in Phoenix. All five series between the two teams this season have been decided two games to one, with Arizona winning four of the five, including all three series at Dodger Stadium.

Game Time: 6:40 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

MLB Gameday

Clayton Kershaw concludes his amazing season on Sunday afternoon as the Dodgers finish a weekend series at Petco Park in San Diego. There are several statistical goals for Kershaw to shoot for.

Kershaw currently leads the majors with a 2.27 ERA. Cliff Lee is second place at 2.38, and if Lee pitches a nine-inning shutout Monday in Atlanta his ERA would be 2.2914. If Kershaw allows two runs on Sunday, he needs at least six innings to beat that (would be 2.2888); if he allows three runs, he would need to pitch 9 2/3 innings to match the hypothetical Lee. In other words, if Kershaw allows two earned runs or less in six innings or more today, he will lead the majors in ERA.

Kershaw has 242 strikeouts, which leads the National League and is 10 more than Lee. Kershaw is eight strikeouts behind major league leader Justin Verlander, who made his final start of the season on Saturday night.

Ian Kennedy won his 21st game on Saturday as the Arizona Diamondbacks eliminated the San Francisco Giants from the postseason, so Kershaw needs a win today to tie Kennedy for the National League lead.

Kershaw, who has won his last seven decisions and is 12-1 in his last 14 starts with a 1.13 ERA, is also closing in on some other numbers:

Koufax is the only Dodger ever to have at least 200 more strikeouts than walks in a single season, and he did it three times: 1963 (248), 1965 (311), and 1966 (240). Kershaw needs 11 more strikeouts than walks today to join that club.

*****

Game Time: 1:05 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

MLB Gameday

The Dodgers battle the Padres on Saturday evening at Petco Park, and while all eyes aren't on Matt Kemp's march toward a possible MVP award, they will focus on the mound. Chad Billingsley makes his final start of what has been a disappointing season.

After a strong finish to 2010, there were high hopes for Billingsley heading into his age 26 season. At the end of spring training, Billingsley signed a three-year, $35 million extension, which starts next season and at the time looked like a potential bargain. That may still prove true, but Billingsley's 2011 has dampened expectations.

It's not that Billingsley has been bad, necessarily. He has simply been, well, ordinary. At times Billingsley has shown flashes of brilliance, such has his 11 strikeouts in eight scoreless innings against the Cardinals on April 17, or his allowing one hit and one unearned run in a tough-luck loss to the Diamondbacks on May 14, or when he allowed only one walk and nothing else to his last 22 batters faced against the Nationals on July 24.

Since that win over the Nationals, Billingsley has made 10 starts, and has 30 walks and just 35 strikeouts while putting up a 4.97 ERA in 54 innings. Whether it's fatigue -- Billingsley made 241 total pitches in back-to-back "save the bullpen" starts at the end of August -- or a mechanical issue, Billingsley simply hasn't been a very good pitcher for most of the last two months.

Luckily for Billingsley, he has a chance to go out on a high note Saturday night against the Padres. He faced San Diego once this season, and got a win by pitching eight scoreless innings, but to show the true up-and-down nature of Billingsley's season, he also walked more (five) than he struck out (four) and was fighting his command all game.

Billingsley is 11-7 with a 2.76 ERA in his career against the Padres, including 5-3 with a 2.25 ERA at Petco Park, the site where he made his major league debut in 2006.

Triple Crown Watch

Jose Reyes had a single in three at-bats plus a walk in the first game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies, maintaining his National League leading batting average at .32950, nearly indistinguishable from the .32948 that he began the day with.

Albert Pujols did not hit a home run against the Chicago Cubs in St. Louis on Saturday, so he and Kemp remain tied atop the NL with 37 home runs.

Kemp has four hits in 13 career at-bats against Saturday's starter for San Diego, Aaron Harang, including a double and a home run, hitting .308/.375/.615.

From The Start

Today is Billingsley's 32nd start of the season, matching Clayton Kershaw and Ted Lilly for the team lead. If Hiroki Kuroda makes his start on Tuesday as planned, that will give the Dodgers four pitchers with at least 32 starts for the first time since 1993. Orel Hershiser made 33 starts 18 years ago, and was joined by 32 starts each from Tom Candiotti, Ramon Martinez, and Kevin Gross, all of whom pitched at least 200 innings. That 1993 team was also the last Dodger team with five pitchers with 30 starts, as Pedro Astacio started 31 games.

*****

Game Time: 5:35 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

MLB Gameday

The Matt Kemp Triple Crown Show moves to Petco Park this weekend as the Dodgers open a three-game series with the Padres in San Diego. But on Friday we might see history of a different kind.

Eugenio Velez is starting tonight's game, batting eighth and playing second base. Velez this season has no hits in 33 at-bats. Zero hits. Dating back to last year, Velez is hitless in his last 42 at-bats.

The record for most consecutive at-bats without a hit by a position player is 45, held jointly by Bill Bergen (in 1909 with the Brooklyn Dodgers) and Craig Counsell (earlier this season with the Milwaukee Brewers). In addition, the record for most at-bats in a season without a hit, by a position player, is 35, by Hal Finney, a catcher for the 1936 Pittsburgh Pirates.

Velez has started six previous games this season, and has reached four at-bats only once, and had three at-bats three other times. It is conceivable that Velez could tie or break the Bergen/Counsell record tonight. Or, he could get a hit. Either way, we see history.

Lineups

Game Time: 7:05 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

MLB Gameday

Hiroki Kuroda takes the hill at Dodger Stadium tonight for what may be his last home start in a Los Angeles uniform. Manager Don Mattingly praised the Japanese right-hander for his "quiet leadership and work ethic". In four seasons in major league baseball, Kuroda has posted these numbers: 3.49 ERA, 112 ERA+, 3.55 FIP, 3.63 xFIP, 1.195 WHIP, in 686 innings over 113 appearances, all but one starts. Opposing batters triple-slash line: .250 / .296 / .379 / .675.

Other than missing about ten starts in 2009, Kuroda's tenure with Dodgers has probably worked at as well or better than the front office hoped when they first signed him to a three-year, $35.3 million contract.

Tommy Lasorda will be an honorary coach, in uniform, in the dugout tonight. He claimed that he would actually manager the game tonight. No truth to the rumor that he plans on letting Kuroda throw 130 pitches and have Javy Guerra go for a 2 1/3 inning save.

Notes

• Mattingly plans on sticking with his rotation for the rest of the season. He also praised his young bullpen before the game, saying Guerra and Kenley Jansen had been "tremendous" and that Scott Elbert was "getting over the hump with his confidence."
• Especially for Phil: The Dodgers manager was also in favor of a change to the September roster rules, begin in favor of a more limited expansion, perhaps to 30 players maximum. He cited a game against Pittsburgh a couple years ago, where the Dodgers were in the playoff race, but that they "couldn't prepare for seventeen pitchers" on the Pirates roster.
• Matt Kemp is currently in the NL top three in home runs, batting average, RBIs and steals. If he finishes the season in the top three in all four categories, he would join the following players as the only others to do so: Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, George Sisler, Chuck Klein, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. Nice company.
• In The Thick Of It: Kuroda has set career highs in both wins AND losses this year, and has had only two no-decisions.
• When asked if "Manny had anything left in the tank", Mattingly cracked, "Manny Mota?"

Lineups

Game Time: 7:10 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

MLB Gameday

Now that Clayton Kershaw is in the lead, either outright or tied, in all three pitching triple crown categories in the National League, let's check back in with Matt Kemp, who still has a shot at the batting triple crown.

Here are the stats through three completed early games (Astros/Reds, Brewers/Cubs, and Padres/Rockies) on Wednesday:

Kemp needs a Jerry Sands-like run (16 for 30) over the last eight games to get to a batting average of .332, so he likely needs a slump from both Reyes and Braun to capture the batting title.

Kemp is at or near the top in a few other counting stats as well:

Kemp is nearing uncharted territory here, as the Dodgers almost never lead the league in offensive categories. The last Dodger to lead the National League in...

• Batting average was Tommy Davis, at .326 in 1963
• Home runs was Adrian Beltre, with 48 in 2004
• RBI was Tommy Davis, with 153 in 1962
  
• Runs was Brett Butler, with 112 in 1991

These are the only Los Angeles Dodgers to lead the league in these categories. Davis led the NL in batting average in both 1962 and 1963.

No Los Angeles Dodger has ever led the league in total bases. Duke Snider was the last Dodger to do so, with 378 total bases for Brooklyn in 1954.

The last Dodger to lead the league in steals was Davey Lopes, with 63 swipes in 1976.

Tonight's Game

Dana Eveland and Ryan Vogelsong face off for the second time in 12 days.

Game Time: 7:10 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

MLB Gameday