Dodgers scratch Matt Kemp for rest of series, schedule MRI

That sore shoulder that Matt Kemp kept denying was giving him problems? Turns out it is giving him some serious problems.

Enough that he’s out of Saturday’s game against the Giants in San Francisco as the Dodgers desperately try to hang on to their dwindling hopes of winning the division.

Manager Don Mattingly said Kemp is scheduled to have a contrast MRI on his shoulder Saturday, which will also cause him to miss Sunday’s series finale.

Kemp has been mired in a 3-for-30 slump since crashing full speed into the Coors Field wall on Aug. 28. Overall, he has 12 hits in his last 73 at-bats (.164).

Publicly, Kemp had been denying the shoulder was bothering him, but the Dodgers can’t afford to see their top player and cleanup hitter continue to struggle down the stretch.

“He needs to find out exactly what it is,” Mattingly said.

Dodgers trainer Sue Falsone said she thinks that Kemp jammed the shoulder as he put his arm up to protect his face as he crashed into the wall, and suspects a shoulder bruise.

But team officials decided to have Kemp get an MRI to make certain nothing else was happening. Falsone said Kemp would likely also have a cortisone injection.

Juan Rivera is scheduled to start in left Saturday, with Shane Victorino moving over to Kemp’s spot in center.

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