News/Notes/Rumors

ETHIER'S STATUS UNCLEAR AS NLDS APPROACHES
Left ankle injury may limit outfielder to only pinch-hitting role
By Austin Laymance / MLB.com | 10/1/2013 5:44 P.M. ET



LOS ANGELES -- Andre Ethier thinks he can help the Dodgers as a pinch-hitter in the National League Division Series, but that might not be enough for the outfielder to make the roster.

Ethier has been hobbled for nearly a month by a left ankle injury similar to shin splints, which has prevented him from playing the field or rounding the bases. At this point, Ethier would only be available to pinch-hit Thursday in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Braves.

"We're hoping it's a hitting role right now and maybe more as the series progresses," Ethier said after working out with the Dodgers on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. "It's frustrating to be sitting here at this point. We're just trying to figure out a way to have me contribute and help any way I can, especially this first series."

The Dodgers know Ethier can hit and throw -- he did both during Tuesday's workout -- but they're not sure if he can run the bases or play the outfield. Those circumstances present a tough choice for management as they decide what to do with one of their best outfielders.

"We're going to try to determine if we're going to have him on the roster or not as soon as possible, and then we're going to try to wait as long as possible to see if he's going to be able to run," said manager Don Mattingly. "No. 1, can he just be a pinch-hitter? If he can do that, we'll make a determination. Everything that he can do helps us make a decision. We're trying to find out what he can do."

The Dodgers may be more inclined to carry Ethier in a limited role because fellow outfielder Matt Kemp is unavailable for the postseason due to his own ankle injury.

Ethier said he would know more about what he can do on the bases after Wednesday's workout in Atlanta. But whether he can run full speed or not, Ethier wants to be a part of the Dodgers' first postseason appearance in four years.

"I want to be out there playing," Ethier said. "If it's a pinch-hit role and that's what they need me to do, I want to do it. I want to help this team any way I can to win."

Ethier's lone pinch-hit in eight chances this season was a game-tying, two-run homer in the ninth inning against the Mets on Aug. 14.

Still, Ethier understands he could handcuff the manager if he requires someone to run for him should he reach base.

"If I'm fresh enough and able to go, a lot more goes in than just hitting," Ethier said. "You need all the guys on the bench and all your roster spots you need for whatever comes up ... I feel like I can contribute hitting-wise. Who knows what will happen once I get down to first?"

That uncertainty is enough to make the Dodgers consider a range of options in regards to their 25-man NLDS roster.

Said Mattingly: "What are we willing to accept, and then how do we set our roster accordingly if he can only pinch-hit?"

With Kemp sidelined, Ethier admitted he feels more urgency to play.

"I'd be lying if I said no," Ethier said. "That's what they're telling me not to do is have more urgency. All of our main decision guys are telling me this is no more pressure because Kemp is out. My first text back to them was I would try to step up the healing in any way I can. I think I feel a responsibility no matter who is out. With [Kemp] out it definitely adds, but it was added before that."

The Dodgers are calling Ethier's injury a left ankle sprain. He said the discomfort he has is believed to stem from the periosteum, the sheath that covers the bones of the leg, with pain similar to shin splints.

Ethier initially injured his left ankle on a swing in Colorado on Sept. 4 and aggravated it on a double against the Giants on Sept. 13, the last time he started. After more than a week of treatment, he encountered increased pain trying to round the bases in a workout in San Francisco on Sept. 24, leading to an MRI and CT scan the next day in Los Angeles, which showed his lower left leg had improved but not completely healed. Drs. Neal ElAttrache and Phillip Kwong, a foot and ankle specialist, cleared Ethier to return to games when he is able to run the bases without pain.

Ethier estimated he would have been shut down from baseball activities for a few weeks had the injury occurred earlier in the season.

"The more rest and the more I give this time to recover the better it will be," he said. "It's a lot easier said right now. If I rested it and shut down when I probably should have, I wouldn't even be available for the playoffs."

If Ethier is unavailable for the NLDS as a center fielder, Skip Schumaker would likely fill that role. Schumaker started 17 games in center during the regular season, third on the team behind Ethier (70) and Kemp (68).

Though his status for the NLDS remains in doubt, Ethier has been able to maintain some sense of humor.

"I'm talking to shamans, rubbing crystals on it and all kinds of stuff," he said. "You name it."

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All bets are off in NLDS underlined with intrigue
Series could swing either way depending on health, pitching and momentum
By Anthony Castrovince | mlb.com -- 2 hours ago

Maybe you think the Dodgers, what with that ridiculous rotation fronted by Clayton Kershaw and a summer surge for the ages under their belt, are the favorite here.

But it's not that simple.

Maybe you think the Braves, having led the National League East for all but one day (way back in early April) and amassed the best home record in the game, are the favorite here.

But it's not that simple, either.

There is nothing simple about this NL Division Series between the Dodgers and Braves. Both of these clubs have put together extended stretches this season in which they've looked absolutely untouchable. And the truth is, both of them are capable of going into a funk in which they look absolutely lost.

That's what makes this best-of-five set, which begins at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Atlanta's Turner Field (coverage on TBS), so compelling and, yes, so unpredictable.

On the one hand, you can't possibly bet against that Dodgers rotation, can you?

Game 1 starter Kershaw is the undisputed favorite for the NL Cy Young Award, which would be his second such honor. He's led the NL in ERA and in WHIP for three straight years now (the only other guys in history to lead their league in ERA three years in a row are Lefty Grove, Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens), but Kershaw's 1.83 ERA and 0.915 WHIP this season put him in another stratosphere.

The Game 2 starter will be Zack Greinke (15-4, 2.63 ERA). You've heard of him, right? The dude broke his collarbone fighting Carlos Quentin in April and still recovered in time to post an adjusted ERA 35 percent better than the league average.

And in Games 3 and 4, the Dodgers have the luxury of going with lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu (14-8, 3.00 ERA) and right-hander Ricky Nolasco (8-3, 3.52 ERA since coming over from Miami).

Jeez, will there even be a Game 4?

But wait, let's not oversimplify things. The Braves make this quite a bit more complicated than people are giving them credit for, even if they don't have the household names of their playoff rotations of old. Their 3.51 starters' ERA was the sixth best in baseball this season, despite losing Tim Hudson to a gruesome injury and experiencing regression from Paul Maholm. Mike Minor, at 25, took a huge step forward (13-9, 3.21 ERA), and 22-year-old Julio Teheran (14-8, 3.20 ERA) established himself as one of the more electric young arms in the game.

Certainly, this is a Braves team without an established ace, and it wasn't too long ago that there was talk of Game 1 starter Kris Medlen being moved to the bullpen. But to focus on those facts is to ignore what Medlen did down the stretch. In his last six September starts, he was 5-0 with just four earned runs and no home runs allowed in 43 innings. Medlen looked like the guy who stormed into the rotation in the second half of 2012.

And when you factor in the undeniable force that is the back end of the Braves' bullpen, anchored by Craig Kimbrel (the newly anointed Best Closer in the Game, now that Mariano Rivera has bowed out), perhaps the pitching equation isn't nearly as lopsided as some might assume.

Then again, the Braves have some warts of their own -- and those warts might reveal themselves in the pulse of the postseason.

No. 1 on the list, of course, is strikeouts. Even in an era in which strikeouts are accepted as par for the course like never before, the Braves' 4.43 plate-appearances-per-strikeout mark is alarming. The worry is that a Braves club reliant on the home run (they hit one every 30.06 at-bats, the fifth-best mark in baseball this season) is a little too reliant on the long ball for this environment and this particular series (the Dodgers allowed the fourth-fewest home runs in the NL and ranked second in strikeouts). And the Braves are coming off a month of September in which they averaged a pretty pedestrian 3.70 runs per game.

But what about the Dodgers? They didn't exactly scorch the earth in September, either. They averaged 3.78 runs, and that's partially attributable to their continued struggle to keep all their stars on the field at the same time.

That was pretty much the theme of the season for the Dodgers: When they were healthy, they were unstoppable. When they weren't, they were sometimes unwatchable.

So are the Dodgers healthy now? The question is most applicable to shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who has been an every-other-day player in recent weeks. That was fine when the Dodgers were playing out the string with the NL West in hand, but will Hanley (.345/.402/.638), whose offense is vital to the middle of the order, be ready to reassert himself in the daily grind?

We know for sure Matt Kemp is out, but the Dodgers, as Don Mattingly is quick to point out, went on their 42-8 run without him. What we don't really know is what Andre Ethier's role will be, as he's been out since Sept. 22 with an ankle injury. Nor, for that matter, do we know what to make of Yasiel Puig as he enters his first October after cooling off in September.

The Dodgers, then, offer their fair share of mystery, no matter how sturdy their rotation situation might seem. And the Braves, relying on a largely unproven postseason rotation, are a bit mysterious, regardless of how much power potential is in those bats.

To best illustrate what we're dealing with here, look no further than the team records the last two months: The Braves went 20-7 in August, then 13-14 in September. The Dodgers went 23-6 in August, then 12-15 in September.

Point is, you don't know quite what you're going to get from either of these clubs in any given stretch. I could very easily see either one of them going on a scorch-the-earth run if health permits and the bats are booming. I could just as easily see either one of them flaming out in a hurry.

Tough call, interesting matchup. I'll chicken out and say it'll go five games. And with the thought of Kershaw pitching twice, I'll take the Dodgers.

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Atlanta Braves leave Dan Uggla, their highest paid player, off NLDS roster
By Mike Oz | Big League Stew – 2 hours 5 minutes ago



Dan Uggla and his .179 batting average aren't on the Atlanta Braves roster for the NLDS, which opens Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Take away the name and you think, "Yeah, of course, why would you have a guy hitting that poorly on your postseason roster."

Well, the Braves have many, many reasons to expect production from Uggla. In fact, they have 13 million of them. Uggla is the team's highest-paid player, making $13 million this season. That's good money for a guy who's going to sit around when the games matter most.

Uggla's never been a high-average hitter, but hitting .220 in 2012 was respectable by comparison. This year, Uggla hit 22 homers, but only has 80 hits. His WAR value is -1.3, ninth-worst among players who appeared in at least 100 games.

"Yesterday might have been one of hardest days I've had as a major league manager," Braves skipper Fredi Gonzalez told reporters Wednesday, including David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "We feel like we put our best 25 out there to face the Dodgers."​

Instead of Uggla, the Braves will start Elliot Johnson at second base. He's been playing there a lot for the Braves since late August when he was acquired from the Kansas City Royals. Utilityman Paul Janish can play second base as well, if needed.

Uggla, despite that wretched batting average, isn't even the most disappointing player on the Braves this season. That title goes to B.J. Upton, an offseason free-agent signing who has a -1.8 WAR and is hitting a sad .184 with nine homers and 26 RBIs. He's the second highest-paid Brave this season, making $12.45 million. He is, by the way, on the Braves postseason roster (and the cover of Sports Illustrated, which couldn't possibly jinx him at this point).

It's a wonder the Braves are as good as they are, with their two biggest contacts floundering as they have. Luckily, Atlanta has Freddie Freeman around. He's getting paid $560,000 and has a 5.4 WAR.

As for Uggla, well, at least he has his abs to keep him company on the bench.

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