Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Don’t let anyone tell you that the Dodgers didn’t make it to October in 2015. It’s October, right now! They made it. So did you. Congratulations on surviving.
|
Dodgers
|
Giants
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
12:35 p.m.
|
San Francisco, Ca.
|
|||
|
LF
|
Crawford
|
2B
|
Tomlinson
|
|
|
2B
|
Kendrick
|
3B
|
Duffy
|
|
|
1B
|
Gonzalez
|
1B
|
Posey
|
|
|
RF
|
Ethier
|
RF
|
Byrd
|
|
|
SS
|
Seager
|
LF
|
Williamson
|
|
|
3B
|
Utley
|
CF
|
Parker
|
|
|
C
|
Grandal
|
C
|
Brown
|
|
|
CF
|
Hernandez
|
SS
|
Noonan
|
|
|
P
|
Anderson (L)
|
P
|
Hudson (R)
|
Sure, a surprisingly late regular season means that this isn’t even the last series of the year and that everyone plays in October this time around, but, don’t overthink it. And if you look at the lineup, you’ll see that like last night, this is again full of regulars. Save for third base, where Chase Utley is subbing for a sore Justin Turner (dealing with a “swollen forearm” after being hit by a pitch last night), this is a lineup you could see in the NLDS. So if and when they don’t get home field against the Mets, let no one complain that they “weren’t trying.”
Let’s be honest, though. The final road game of the regular season isn’t the news, and the likely final start of Tim Hudson‘s long career isn’t the news. This, friends, is the news:
Mattingly said Yasiel Puig is running at 100 pct in workouts, will play 4 IP on defense in game today. Called progress "miraculous"
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) October 1, 2015
Puig running at 100% now.
— Dylan Hernández (@dylanohernandez) October 1, 2015
"Miraculous" and "legendary" is how Mattingly described Puig's recovery.
— Dylan Hernández (@dylanohernandez) October 1, 2015
Whether or not that final quote from Mattingly regarding Yasiel Puig was said in jest or not, if it’s real — if Puig is really suddenly healthy, and not just unnecessarily rushing back as has happened so often with hamstring injuries — well, that’s a game-changer. I mean, that’s time for live plate appearances against San Diego. That’s time to get himself on the roster for the NLDS. That’s… potentially very bad news for the prospects of whoever the last man on the roster might have been. (Justin Ruggiano? Scott Van Slyke? Jimmy Rollins?)
This is, of course, getting wildly ahead of ourselves. So far, nothing has been proven. Nothing may yet be proven. But Puig’s talent is undeniable, and even in this disappointing season, he’s been an above-average hitter (112 wRC+). Put it this way: The Mets can’t be happy about this news.
