Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly Benching Yasiel Puig Is Outrageously Stupid
By Anthony F. Irwin
@AnthonyIrwinNBA
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Manager Don Mattingly is making one heck of a gamble tonight, starting Clayton Kershaw on short rest despite his postseason struggles. You know why? You play your best players.
If that’s the case, why is Yasiel Puig not in tonight’s lineup?
Yes, Puig has struggled mightily at the plate, having struck out eight of his last nine at-bats. You know what that ninth at-bat resulted in? A triple that led to the only Los Angeles Dodgers run scored in Game 3. Juan Uribe is playing tonight at third base, and he’s batting under .100 because of what he brings defensively. Puig has stopped countless opposing baserunners from trying to take an extra base by forcing them to respect his arm. Andre Ethier won’t get that respect.
What happens late in the game when the Dodgers need a pinch hitter? Does Mattingly go with the guy he didn’t have enough confidence in to start? How will Puig have any confidence in himself after this move? Struggling hitters always have to remind themselves that the slump can end in the next at-bat. What’s Puig telling himself right now?
This is the icing on the cake for one of the most poorly-managed baseball series I can remember. Pulling Greinke in Game 2 nearly cost the Dodgers this series if not for Matt Kemp’s late home run. Keeping Kershaw in ended in an implosion. The inconsistency is maddening. And now, by benching Puig, even if the Dodgers win, questions will remain if his year is over altogether.
Mattingly benching Puig is proof of how detached he is from the culture of this team. Donny Baseball has no time for bubbles and bat flips. Mattingly is old school in every sense of the word, but that time has passed, and so hopefully has Mattingly’s tenure in Los Angeles.
Anthony F. Irwin is an NBA, NFL, MLB and NCAA Football contributor for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. Send him an email at .
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