Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
When I tried to take a guess at the 25-man playoff roster a few days ago, I think I must have come pretty close. Eric Stephen said his 25 were the same. So, today, did Steve Dilbeck.
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Rockies
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Dodgers
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7:10 p.m.
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Los Angeles
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LF
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Blackmon
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2B
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Gordon
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3B
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Ynoa
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CF
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Puig
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1B
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Morneau
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1B
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Gonzalez
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RF
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Cuddyer
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SS
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Turner
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CF
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Stubbs
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LF
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Crawford
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C
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Rosario
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RF
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Ethier
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SS
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Rutledge
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3B
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Uribe
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2B
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LeMahieu
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C
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Butera
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P
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Lyles (R)
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P
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Hernandez (R)
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While nothing we’ve learned in the last few days would make me change my guess just yet, the one name that I didn’t have on there that nagged at me a bit was Roberto Hernandez, who makes his final start of the season — and potentially final appearance as a Dodger — tonight. Then as now, Hernandez’ best bet to be on the roster is as a potential Game 4 starter if Hyun-jin Ryu isn’t available, but part of me wonders if there’s any chance that the team sees him as a better option to be a long man than a Jamey Wright or a Carlos Frias.
Probably not, really. I don’t think we’ll see him as long as Ryu is healthy. But if he’s got any shot to be there, he absolutely has to look good against Colorado tonight in a game that otherwise has absolutely no meaning at all, since Washington’s victory earlier today clinched the No. 1 seed for the Nationals, not that the Dodgers really had much hope of getting it anyway.
The lineup behind him, surprisingly, isn’t as house money as I would have thought, which is maybe a weird feeling to have considering that Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez, and A.J. Ellis are all not in it. Justin Turner hits cleanup for the first time as a Dodger and just for the second time in his career, having done so once for the Mets last season. Andre Ethier returns from the back of the milk carton to play right field. I suppose that with yesterday’s off day and so much down time before next Friday’s NLDS kickoff, Don Mattingly wants to keep his regulars fresh, and that makes some sense. Still, I’d expect to see some earlier-than-usual substitutions tonight and through the weekend.
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In newsy bits: Arizona fired Kirk Gibson, which, of course. Ryu threw off a mound today and should have a full bullpen Sunday, which would be a big test. There’s still uncertainty internally about whether the team will keep 11 or 12 pitchers for the NLDS, which was why I left the final spot in my roster preview as “the 25th man,” because I wasn’t sure either. I still think they’ll go with that 12th pitcher, of course.
I can’t really say I get this, though:
Mattingly: “I hate to say these are tryout games but there’s definitely going to be some guys who are disappointed they’re not on roster”
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) September 27, 2014
Could we be so lucky as to see Chris Perez not make it? Kevin Correia can’t really think he is, right? Is this a Darwin Barney thing? That roster could end up being pretty interesting.
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