Kemp’s tough wait ends today

PHOENIX -- Asked about his struggles at the plate and how he wasn’t in the Dodgers’ lineup for the third day in a row on Monday, Matt Kemp shrugged his shoulders, smiled and said everything would be fine.

“I’m just a little impatient, man,” Kemp said. “It’s not that big a deal. If I keep having fun, the game will come to me.”

But hitting coach Mike Easler says he knows this has been a tough period for Kemp, who entered the Dodgers’ series opener in Arizona with a .125 average and seven strikeouts in 16 at-bats. The opening-day right fielder, Kemp last started on Friday because Manager Joe Torre has wanted to shield him from tough right-handers such as Arizona’s Monday starter, Dan Haren. Andre Ethier has moved from left field to right and Juan Pierre has gone from the bench to Ethier’s regular spot.

Kemp will be in the lineup today against left-hander Doug Davis.

“It’s a very tough situation for him to be in,” said Easler, who worked with Kemp in the minors in the two previous seasons. “But in a situation like this, he has to work harder.”

Which Kemp has done, Easler said, pointing to how he is at the ballpark by 2 p.m. every day to get extra work in the batting cages.

Kemp was at Chase Field at 1:30 p.m. Monday, more than five hours before the first pitch. Easler said that Kemp’s recent problems are a result of him looking too much for pitches on the outside part of the plate. Kemp spent the spring working on hitting the ball to the opposite field, which, Easler said, has led to his chasing balls off the plate.

“Half of the breaking balls down and outside are balls,” Easler said. “You get to a point where you’re pushing everything instead of driving it.”

Easler said he was urging Kemp to look for pitches in the “middle-inner third” and to drive the ball to center. Kemp waited for a pitch in that location when pinch-hitting Monday in the seventh inning, slapping a single to right. Sensitive to what Kemp might be feeling, Torre said he had met in his office with the 23-year-old for the last two days and told him he would play today.

“I told Matty that he’d be playing a lot of baseball before it was all over, and that’s the part he has to trust me with,” Torre said, adding that he didn’t want Kemp to face Haren because “an anxious hitter will play into this guy’s hands.”

Kemp said that while he respected Torre’s decision, he wanted to play regardless of who was on the mound.

“I’m a big leaguer, they’re a big leaguer,” he said. “I’ll face anybody, it doesn’t matter who it is -- ace, no ace, I want to face them all.”

Easler, who says he knows Kemp “like the back of my hand,” declared that this rough patch would benefit him in the long run.

“He’s going to be a superstar,” Easler said. “He’s destined for greatness. But every hitter, these kids here, the Uptons, the Youngs, the Howards, they’ve gone through what Matt’s going through.”

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Nomar Garciaparra, who is recovering from a microfracture in his right wrist, took live batting practice for the first time in almost three weeks and could be sent on a rehabilitation assignment by the end of the week.

“I’m swinging and not thinking about it,” Garciaparra said.

Garciaparra remained cautious about forecasting his recovery -- “I’ve got to get a few back-to-back days,” he said, acknowledging that he was encouraged by the way he emerged from a session in the batting cages Sunday.

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dylan.hernandez@latimes.com