Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
You may notice that I’ve waited as long as possible before first pitch to post this game thread. That’s partially because I’m busy. Leave me alone! But it’s mostly because when Hanley Ramirez was announced as being in the starting lineup several hours ago, no one believed it, not after the finger injury he sustained last night. That’s not just me being pessimistic; that’s Don Mattingly saying he thought that Ramirez was “50/50” to even make it through batting practice, having talked his way into the lineup. And when has a player, particularly an injury-prone one, forcing his way into the game over the best judgement of the manager ever gone wrong? Except for, you know, all the times it’s gone wrong?
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Rockies
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Dodgers
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7:10pm PT
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Los Angeles, CA
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LF
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Dickerson
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2B
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Gordon
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RF
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Barnes
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SS
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Ramirez
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SS
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Tulowitzki
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RF
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Puig
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C
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Rosario
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1B
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Gonzalez
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CF
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Stubbs
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LF
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Kemp
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3B
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Rutledge
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CF
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Van Slyke
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1B
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Parker
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C
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Ellis
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2B
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LeMahieu
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3B
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Rojas
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P
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De La Rosa (L)
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P
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Kershaw (L)
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So I waited, and I waited, figuring that Ramirez wouldn’t actually play, and that either he’d sit in favor of Jamie Romak (with Miguel Rojas moving to short) or that Erisbel Arruebarrena, who did not play today for Albuquerque, might be in transit to Los Angeles.
But I can wait no longer. Clayton Kershaw is about to throw his first pitch to Corey Dickerson. Ramirez is in the lineup. How long is that going to last?
You’ll also notice that Justin Turner is again not in the lineup, marking the sixth straight day he’s sat with a calf injury. Tomorrow’s an off day, so even if he can play on Friday in San Diego, that will be more than a week off, and that’s really the worry if something goes wrong with Ramirez tonight. If Turner can only pinch-hit, well, the bench is already short. It’s terrifying, really.
In better news: Juan Uribe is making progress! He’ll play in rehab games for Rancho on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with a likely return date of Monday in Kansas City. Scott Elbert, meanwhile, pitched for Ogden today, facing five batters. The results don’t matter. What matters is that he pitched, and he (presumably) survived. I guess. I’m not in Odgen, right?
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