Dodgers still don’t have any answers

SAN FRANCISCO —  Matt Kemp sat in front of his locker, speaking softly with his head bowed.

Asked why his season has turned out the way it has, Kemp offered a similar answer to the one provided recently by hitting coach Don Mattingly.

He said he didn’t know.

“I’m working on it,” he said. “If I figured it out, I’d be hitting way better than I’m hitting right now.”

In the Dodgers’ 10-2 defeat to the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night at AT&T; Park, Kemp struck out twice and tied his season strikeout record with 153. His average dipped to .248, down from .297 a year ago. He has stolen 18 bases, but has been caught stealing 15 times.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Kemp had made a habit of surpassing expectations. His outstanding two-way play last season earned him a two-year, $10.95-million contract over the winter and landed him alongside Andre Ethier on the cover of the Dodgers’ media guide.

He hit seven home runs in his first 14 games this season. Over his next 133 games, he hit 15.

Bench coach Bob Schaefer, with whom Kemp argued during a game to earn a three-day benching in June, called the reigning Gold Glove center fielder a “mystery man.”

Schaefer refused to say anything more about Kemp.

Kemp said he has worked as hard as he has always worked, that he has played the way he has normally played.

“Pretty frustrating, man,” he said. “There’s no explanation for it. I have to do better.”

For Kemp and the Dodgers, Thursday offered no relief from the dreadful season.

Kemp went 0 for 4. The Dodgers were held to four hits, giving them nine for the three-game series, in which they lost twice as the Giants moved past San Diego into first place in the NL West.

By the end of the fourth inning, Ted Lilly was out of the game and the Dodgers were down, 6-1.

The decision

Manager Joe Torre said he has decided what he will do next season, but that he isn’t ready to announce whether he will return to his post or retire.

“I still have something I need to do first,” Torre said.

Torre said he has told his wife about his plans. Asked if he has told his daughter, he replied, “If my wife knows, my daughter knows.”

What about General Manager Ned Colletti?

“Ned and I talked,” Torre said.

Schaefer speaks out

Repeating comments he made on XM Radio earlier in the day, Schaefer said the Dodgers would have to “pull a rabbit out of a hat” to be playoff contenders next year.

“What I meant by that is that they’re going to have to be very creative,” Schaefer said, referring to the number of players the Dodgers would lose to free agency. “There are not many affordable free agents out there.”

Schaefer noted that it doesn’t appear that the Dodgers will get much help any time soon from the minor leagues.

“The core guys have to get better,” he said.

Schaefer didn’t back down from the statement he made that Manny Ramirez returned from his drug suspension last season a lesser player.

“He lost a few yards off his driver,” Schaefer said. “He wasn’t the same hitter.”

Short hops

September call-up Russell Mitchell’s first career hit was a home run, a solo shot in the fifth inning that hit the left-field foul pole. ... Jamey Carroll had an MRI on his wrist that revealed no structural damage. He is expected to be sidelined for a few days. ... Torre visited the Oakland Raiders’ practice and talked to owner Al Davis, his longtime friend.

Asked if Davis had any interest in purchasing the Dodgers, Torre replied, “The subject never came up.”

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com