Dodgers @ Giants Sept. 30, 2015: A Shockingly Competitive Lineup

	Dodgers			Giants
	7:10 p.m.			San Francisco, Ca.
LF	Crawford		CF	Pagan
SS	Rollins		2B	Tomlinson
3B	Seager		3B	Duffy
RF	Ethier		SS	Crawford
2B	Utley		RF	Parker
1B	Grandal		LF	Williamson
C	Barnes		C	Brown
CF	Pederson		1B	Noonan
P	Bolsinger (R)		P	Leake (R)

For a game that’s coming the night after a division-clinching win, that’s a shockingly competitive lineup. Everyone other than Austin Barnes could reasonably appear in the starting eight for the first game of the NLDS.

I mean, where’s Ronald Torreyes? Scott Schebler? Chris Heisey? I suppose this has something to do with trying for home field advantage in the NLDS — the Mets are up 5-3 on Philadelphia at the moment, having apparently survived a scare where Yoenis Cespedes was hit by a pitch — but even so, I’m surprised.

Then again, I guess that’s what all this depth does for you. You can have Adrian Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick, Justin Turner, A.J. Ellis, Enrique Hernandez, Justin Ruggiano, and Scott Van Slyke on the bench — to say nothing of the aforementioned trio of backups — and still have it look like a real, competitive group.

But man, this is fun, right? It’s fun to be able to talk about such inconsequential items. All that matters now is how best to kill a week before the playoffs.

Speaking of which:

Mattingly said he will hand off to "guest manager" for final game unless that game affects NLDS homefield. Last year, Juan Uribe got the job

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) October 1, 2015

Ellis seems the obvious answer, but almost too obvious. Perhaps a job for former starting shortstop Jimmy Rollins?

Oh, and watch this game without worry:

No. RT @76Gibson2010 is the Dodger game blacked out on espn tonight?

— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) October 1, 2015