Yasiel Puig Benched for Andre Ethier for Game 4 of NLDS vs. Cardinals
On the brink of elimination in the National League Division Series, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly has benched Yasiel Puig in favor of Andre Ethier for Tuesday's Game 4 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported the news:
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Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan provided Mattingly's thought process on the decision:
Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times provides comments from Puig, who spoke about the move:
"“We have to win this game,” he said in Spanish. “I’m not working well on the field against St. Louis. I’ve played very poorly in this series.”
Puig admitted his right ankle has been bothering him “for some time,” but downplayed the effect it had on his performance in this series.
“I have a problem with my ankle, but I had to continue playing because we have to advance to the next round,” he said.
[...]
“When I go to look for the ball, my first step bothers me,” he said. “But I’m receiving treatment.
"
Bleacher Report's Zach Rymer provides insight into why the decision could be considered controversial:
Puig struggled through the first three games of the NLDS, racking up seven straight strikeouts from the ninth inning of Game 1 through the third inning of Game 3. He has eight total whiffs in 12 at-bats this postseason.
The right fielder broke that streak with a triple in the sixth inning of Game 3, which led to him scoring a run and temporarily tying the game. However, Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning to give his team a 2-1 series lead and put the Dodgers on the brink of elimination.
With Shelby Miller on the mound for St. Louis in Game 4, Mattingly is playing the matchup by benching Puig for Ethier. The latter was dreadful in the regular season with a .691 OPS, but has a .710 mark against right-handers in 2014 and .888 for his career.
The Dodgers have only scored four runs in the last two games, so they need a spark to keep their season alive. Mattingly is hoping Ethier can help his squad conjure some magic and send the series back to Los Angeles for a winner-take-all Game 5.
