Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier & Dodgers astonishing lack of power

While it may seem strange after Friday night's game featured a pair of three-run home runs, this weekend series between the Dodgers and Marlins has the two worst power-hitting teams in the National League.

The three-run home run by Adrian Gonzalez in the first inning Friday was just the third three-run home run this season for the Dodgers, who have no grand slams. Coming into play Saturday in the 15-team National League...

• The Dodgers are dead last with 48 doubles. The Marlins are 14th, with 50.
• The Dodgers are 14th with 24 home runs. The Marlins are last, with 20.
• The Dodgers are tied for last with two triples. The Marlins are tied for 11tth, with three.
• The Dodgers are 14th with 74 extra-base hits. The Marlins are last, with 73. Next up are the Cardinals, with 88 extra-base hits.
• The Dodgers are 14th with an isolated power (slugging percentage minus batting average) of .109. The Marlins are last, at .097.

It's one of the big reasons the Dodgers are second to last in the NL in runs scored (3.38 per game) despite also being second best in the league in on-base percentage (.330).

The lack of power is alarming, and the two main culprits — aside from simply missing Hanley Ramirez — are Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier.

• Kemp: .271/.322/.349, one home run, seven doubles
• Ethier: .235/.331/.353, three home runs, five doubles

Kemp we know is coming off major surgery to repair a torn labrum and clean out debris in his left shoulder, and still trying to banish the shoulder-protecting bad habits from his swing. Ethier, however, has been fully healthy, as far as we know.

"Honestly right now, Matt looks better to me than Andre. He seems like his swings are better. In that first at-bat he struck out but fouled a few straight back that he was on. His work has been good," manager Don Mattingly said after Friday night's loss to the Marlins. "Dre's swing always looks good to me, but he seems frustrated early on. We'll continue to talk about our approach. I see him in the cage so I now he's working."

This may seem like a broken record, but while improving the little things like adding Tim Federowicz and Scott Van Slyke to the bench are important, it won't matter much unless the big guns start producing.

Pitching matchup

Hyun-jin Ryu has pitched at least six innings in all seven starts this season, but is coming off a career-low two strikeouts in a loss Sunday to the Giants. Ryu's 48 strikeouts and 12 walks give him a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.00, good for 10th in the National League.

Kevin Slowey, Saturday night's starter for Miami, is ninth at 4.50. Slowey has been a pleasant surprise for the Marlins so far this season, with a 1.81 ERA in seven starts, and has 36 strikeouts against just eight walks. Only five Dodgers have ever faced Slowey, and four have had success in limited time.

Juan Uribe is 5-for-9 (.556) with two doubles and a home run against Slowey. Adrian Gonzalez is 2-for-4 with a double, Ramon Hernandez is 1-for-2 with a double, and Skip Schumaker is 2-for-2 with a double. Carl Crawford must feel left out, as he is just 1-for-5 against Slowey. But Crawford has reached base against him on catchers interference.

Game info

Time: 6:10 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

MLB Gameday