Touch 'Em All: Kemp's numbers doing the talking

Apparently Matt Kemp was seriously offended at being passed over in the National League MVP voting a year ago.

The Dodgers' outfielder has Angelenos asking "Albert Who?" with one of the most torrid starts in years: 12 homers and 25 RBIs in his first 23 games. If you're playing along at home, that's 84 dingers and 176 ribbies in a full season. Oh yeah - he's hitting .417.

Then there's Josh Hamilton. The Rangers' outfielder already has one MVP on his trophy shelf (along with a few substance-abuse suspensions) and is off to a start that could land a second award.

Sidelined on Tuesday night with back spasms, Hamilton had 9 homers and 25 RBIs in his first 22 games and is hitting .395.

Bryce Harper was sightseeing in the nation's capital during a day off Monday - before he had ever played a game for the Nationals - when a few guys playing softball on The Mall recognized the rookie and asked if he'd take a couple of swings.

"I hadn't seen the Lincoln Memorial before so I wanted to go over there and check that out," the 19-year-old Harper said. "I was just walking through and they asked me if I'd take a few hacks."

Harper took a few swings before chatting with curious onlookers.

"I was trying to interact with the community, the fans a little bit. I like doing that kind of stuff," Harper said.

The latest theory on the slow start by the Miami Marlins concerns their new ballpark: It's too big.

A sign at the top of the center-field seats lists the distance from home plate at 502 feet. The distance to the fence in center is 418 feet, 386 in left-center and 392 in right-center.

The current theory is that hitters have unconsciously altered their swings in compensation.

"It's too big, in my opinion. It's huge," said Arizona manager Kirk Gibson. "You tend to want to pull the ball more in a big park, because that's where the ball goes out. [But] that's the way they built it, and they'll have to deal with it."

Tampa Bay put third baseman Evan Longoria on the 15-day disabled list with a partially torn left hamstring. He could be out eight weeks.

The $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers to a group that includes former Lakers star Magic Johnson, was finalized.

The Cardinals activated utilityman Allen Craig, one of the stars from their World Series run last fall, from the 15-day DL (right knee surgery).