ANAHEIM -- Matt Kemp finished May swinging one of the hottest bats in the Majors.
The 32-year-old outfielder hammered his 10th home run of the season to give the Braves a 1-0 lead in Wednesday's 2-1 defeat to the Angels. It was his second straight game with a homer.
"Matt's a really good hitter," said Atlanta manager Brian Snitker. "He's a professional hitter. He's just a really good player."
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The Braves outfielder finished sixth among National League outfielders in Tuesday's first round of results released for the Esurance All-Star Game ballot, earning 284,420 votes.
Snitker remarked that Kemp is more than just a run-producer; the second-year manager considers Kemp a reliable, consistent force at the plate for his club.
"He's a big part of what we're doing here," he said.
Kemp's May statistics back the assertion, too -- he hit safely in 24 of 28 games, going 41-for-115 (.356) with four home runs and 14 RBIs for the month.
"His bat stays in the zone so long that he hits everybody," Snitker said.
Kemp, whose Wednesday homer was the 250th of his career, said he was disappointed the hit didn't stand as the difference in Wednesday's final outcome. However, the two-time All Star added that he hopes he can extend his recent stretch of strong play in tandem with fellow outfielder Ender Inciarte, who batted .336 in May.
"I think that's pretty good," said Kemp. "Hopefully, we can repeat that and keep it going."