Matt Kemp isn’t in the Dodgers’ starting lineup, but Don Mattingly says it wasn’t an easy call.

Below are the career statistics for the Dodgers’ outfielders against Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick. Who would you sit?

PA AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS SH SF IBB HBP GDP missG
Andre Ethier 25 22 6 2 0 2 7 3 1 .273 .360 .636 .996 0 0 0 0 1
Matt Kemp 15 15 6 0 0 0 1 0 3 .400 .400 .400 .800 0 0 0 0 0
Yasiel Puig 6 6 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 .833 .833 1.333 2.167 0 0 0 0 1
Carl Crawford 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .667 0 0 0 0 0
Total 119 111 35 9 1 3 16 6 11 .315 .361 .495 .857 0 0 1 2 7

Unfortunately, your answer doesn’t count because you don’t fill out the lineup card. Don Mattingly does, and he chose to bench Matt Kemp. The question of why led Mattingly down a lengthy rabbit hole about the future of the Dodgers’ so-called “four outfielder problem.”

“Every day, this is really a bit of a problem for the most part,” Mattingly said. “This was not easy because Matt’s done pretty decent. So has Yasiel. All the guys I thought were pretty good. Just trying to do the best we can with it. … There will come a day when … where we’re going to put what we think is our best club.”

Mattingly had trouble defining when that day will come, what the formula for determining “our best club” is, or how things will be any different for Kemp, Ethier, Crawford and Puig than they are now.

At least, it seems that having a clearly defined formula is the key element. Mattingly said that today represented the first time he’s had to deal with the stress of a difficult decision in choosing three starting outfielders. Injuries, illnesses, Puig showing up late, and skewed matchup numbers have all been important factors at various points in the first 22 games of the season.

Presumably, today Mattingly decided he had four numbers-worthy, healthy, on-time candidates for three spots.

Crawford didn’t play Wednesday against left-hander Cole Hamels. That might have been the tiebreaker in his mind. Entering the game, Puig leads the quartet in plate appearances with 77. Crawford and Kemp were bringing up the rear with 62. Mattingly mentioned that parity as a factor driving his lineup choices.

“It’s not so much hurt feelings but you want everybody in the mix,” Mattingly said. “You want to have an understanding of guys. We’re talking about four guys that to this point have had quality careers. You can’t just throw those aside.”

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.