Notebook: Mattingly doesn’t regret Game 2 decision
By Clay Fowler, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly clearly stated his desire on Saturday not to revisit the decision on which Game 2 of the NLDS series against Atlanta hinged.
Then he did it anyway.
“No matter which way I go, it could be questioned,” he said. “So it’s one of those things that if the move works, if the matchup works, it’s good. If it doesn’t, it’s bad. But obviously I’m going to go back through and look at every game, but I don’t look at it like we did anything crazy or something we haven’t been doing all year long.”
The Game 2 move for which Mattingly has received the most criticism was calling for rookie left-handed reliever Paco Rodriguez to walk right-handed Reed Johnson to face left-handed Jason Heyward. The move is certainly by the book, but understandably questionable considering the 6-foot-5 Heyward is one of the Braves’ most feared hitters.
The appearance was the 22-year-old Rodriguez’s first in a playoff game. It certainly didn’t help that the first four pitches he threw were intentional balls. Walking Johnson, whose slugging percentage is 86 points lower than Heyward’s, wasn’t something Rodriguez questioned, but he wouldn’t have had a problem pitching to a right-handed hitter.
“I have no problem facing righties and it’s just a matter of what the stats say,” Rodriguez said following Game 2. “I’ve been better against lefties and that’s fine, but I have my confidence facing lefties or righties, so it doesn’t matter.”
Rodriguez was one of the Dodgers’ most dependable relievers all year but struggled in September, during which opponents hit .308 off him. He didn’t allow opponents to hit more than .185 in any of the previous five months.
The only other left-handed pitchers in the Dodgers’ bullpen Friday night were J.P. Howell and Chris Capuano, neither of whom was warm at the time.
“I’ll take Paco Rodriguez against any left-handed hitter in baseball,” Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis said. “You’ve got to give Jason Heyward credit for making a play.”
Injury update
Andre Ethier, who has been hampered by an ankle injury, doesn’t appear to have much of a chance to appear in the outfield in this series. One of the Dodgers’ biggest offensive weapons during their run to the NL West title drew a ninth-inning, pinch-hit walk Friday, but pinch-runner Dee Gordon replaced him on the basepaths.
“It would be a great surprise,” Mattingly said, “if we get (Ethier) in the outfield this series.”
Hanley Ramirez, still nursing an irritated nerve in his back, acknowledged on Thursday he wasn’t 100 percent, but is there reason for concern moving forward?
“No, no, I feel good,” Ramirez said. “I’ll be in there (today) and I’ll be ready to go from the first pitch until the last out.”
Dodgers rookie Hyun-Jin Ryu ready for big stage
By Clay Fowler, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Brian Wilson didn’t include anything about it being easier said than done. The Dodgers reliever just put it in the simplest of terms.
“It’s just enhanced adrenaline,” Wilson said. “It kind of feels like your first-ever appearance.”
The postseason certainly is different than the previous 182 games, Wilson acknowledged, but the idea is not to treat it that way.
“People say,” Wilson said, “they can’t do that.”
Count Hyun-Jin Ryu among those.
The Dodgers’ rookie pitcher will be the first South Korean to start a Major League playoff game when he takes the mound today in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. With the Dodgers and Atlanta Braves tied at one game apiece, there will be no shortage of Adrenaline in the first postseason game at Dodger Stadium in four years.
“I will be a little extra nervous (today) because it’s the postseason,” Ryu said. “But as I do every game, I take the mound trying to win.”
The largest capacity stadium in baseball will provide a raucous atmosphere, but big games haven’t slowed Ryu (14-8, 3.00 ERA) to this point. Aside from his role in South Korea winning Olympic gold in 2008 and then silver in this year’s World Baseball Classic, the 26-year-old has answered the call more often than not in his more significant games in a Dodgers uniform.
The sentiment that Ryu is unflappable was echoed throughout the Dodgers’ locker room and catcher A.J. Ellis added one more reason not to be concerned.
“This isn’t going to be the biggest game he’s ever pitched,” Ellis said. “He’s dominated an Olympics. He’s dominated a WBC. He’s representing the Dodgers but he’s been representing an entire country.”
Ryu threw a bullpen session Friday — with Mattingly, team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache and owner Stan Kasten in attendance, an abnormal amount of brass for such circumstances — but all parties agreed there is no cause for concern.
Ryu will have his hands full with a fellow rookie pitching opposite him. The Braves’ Julio Tehran (14-8, 3.20 ERA) is a talented 22-year-old who has come into his own this season.
Tehran bookended his season with struggles in April and September, but had a sub-3.00 ERA from May until August. He did win seven of his last 10 decisions, but today easily represents the biggest start of his short career.
“I never thought that I’m going to be in this situation in my first year,” Tehran said. “But I’m just trying to calm myself down and try to be focused on the game and try to do the same thing I’ve been doing.”
Tehran likely will face the lineup the Dodgers employed the first two games, one that collected 11 hits in Game 1 and 10 hits in Game 2.
Hanley Ramirez, who hit .345 during an injury-shortened regular season, is not 100 percent but clearly is the Dodgers’ most dangerous hitter. The shortstop was 3 for 4 in Game 2 and is hitting .444 in the series with four RBIs. His two-run home run in the eighth-inning of Game 2 wasn’t enough to bring the Dodgers back, but it did leave an impression.
“One-handed it, both feet up in the air. That’s how talented this guy is,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “Created enough bat speed to hit the ball out of the park. It’s scary how good this guy is.”
The Dodgers have the elements to not only win today but claim their first World Series since 1988, according to Michael Young. The Dodgers’ veteran utility man has some credibility in that department, having led the Texas Rangers on consecutive trips to the World Series in 2010 and 2011.
The pitching, hitting and defense are in place, according to the veteran. Only one more thing is required.
“It’s something synonymous with heart, but it’s not a word you can print in the paper,” Young said. “Let’s just say you’ve got to have the guts to go out and get it. You can’t let anything come to you if you’re going to win these types of games.”
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