With a .301 average and a good glove, Matt Kemp has caught on in the Dodgers outfield. AP John Donovan's Mailbag Comments, questions or obviously unfounded criticism? To e-mail Donovan, use the form below. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

Dodgers

Take a five year, $55 million deal for Juan Pierre, in just its second year. Take a two year, $36.2 million year deal for Andruw Jones, in its first. What do you have? A headache for Torre.

The problem with the Dodgers' outfield -- and it's only part of what ails this sickly looking team -- is that Torre is almost obliged to play both Jones and Pierre and, right now, you could make a real good argument that neither deserves it. But he has to play at least one of them, and often both, and that eats up opportunities for both Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp. Early this season, Ethier and Kemp are much more reliable than Pierre or Jones, at least at the plate.

So far, Pierre, a left-handed swinger with literally no power, is taking the brunt of the bench time. But if Jones continues to stumble (.165, with just a .276 on-base percentage), he could do more sitting and Pierre could see more and more spot duty in center. He already spends time in left when Ethier needs a breather or moves over to right to provide Kemp some time off.

"That's my toughest job, there's no question," Torre says of finding the right balance in the outfield. "I've got four regular players, two of them with ability and little experience, and two of them with ability and a lot of experience.

"So right now, it's a feel thing I'm doing. Is Matt Kemp as good as he's going to be? No. But how is he going to get that good? He's going to have to get at-bats, he's going to have to get playing time."

Torre, like every other manager, will look at statistics to see how certain players match up against the opposing pitcher on any particular night. But he is, as he says, a "feel" guy, which makes the situation he's in -- managing players who he hasn't seen on a daily basis -- much more difficult.

"There's nothing scientific. I do use information, but only if I'm looking for help," Torre says. "The only thing I ever ask these guys to do is, I say, 'Guys, if you're gonna get mad at anybody, get mad at me. Just don't get mad at the guy playing in your place.

"At least as a manager, I hope I piss people off every day. I don't want guys sitting on the bench saying, 'Oh, I'm happy here. Let me go get my slippers.'"

Red Sox

The fact that Crisp has not been traded and is still in Boston is a shock to many around the game. The fact that he's playing a lot, and playing well, is a testament to Boston's plan to go with four outfielders and Francona's execution of that plan.

Boston's outfield is, in effect, just as crowded as the Dodgers' or the Cardinals' because the Red Sox can't dump off one of their outfielders in the DH slot. That spot's already occupied by David Ortiz, and he's not going anywhere. So finding playing time for both Crisp and Ellsbury has been a challenge.

What has Francona done? Through the team's first 28 games, Crisp has started 14 times in center, Ellsbury 14 times. Crisp, a switch-hitter, generally gets the start against left-handers (Ellsbury swings from the left). Ellsbury, the postseason sensation in '07 who many expected to take over full-time starting duties in center this season, also has several other starts, spelling Manny Ramirez in left and J.D. Drew in right.

The light-hitting Crisp, who missed eight games with a bad hamstring, has responded by batting .291 and playing a very good center. Ellsbury, after a slow start (.212 through his first 15 games), is now hitting .280 with three homers and 11 RBIs. He also has a team-high eight steals.

The Boston outfield, not surprisingly, has an .844 OPS, second in the league. The outfield leads the AL with 13 homers.

Can the Red Sox, or any of those other teams, continue to play around with their outfields this much and be successful at it? Injuries will play a part as the season wears on. Performance always matters. And if everybody stays healthy and plays well and no one is traded, then managers have egos to consider, too.

"I wish it were softball. But it's not, so we'll see what happens," Crisp told reporters last week. "Hopefully we all continue to play well and give them a tough decision on who to put out there on any given day."