ST. LOUIS - Los Angeles Dodgers Don Mattingly, with his team on the verge of elimination, yanked struggling All-Star center fielder Yasiel Puig out of his starting lineup Tuesday and replaced him with Andre Ethier for Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals."Pretty simple, really,'' Mattingly said. "We just feel like this gives us the best chance to win today."Looking at all of the factors, you kind of weigh them altogether, and still get back to we feel this is just the day for us to [do it].''
Puig, who has struck out in eight of his last nine at-bats, said he understood the decision, and wasn't angry."Obviously, I haven't been hitting well against St. Louis,'' Puig said through a translator. "It's about winning games. It's about putting the best guys out there to win the game. So, I'm not upset.''Puig, who hit .287 with 25 homers and 89 RBI this season, leading the major leagues with a .606 slugging percentage in the second half, has three hits in 12 at-bats in the first three games. He struck out seven consecutive times, one short of tying the major-league postseason record, when he tripled in the sixth inning off Cardinals starter John Lackey."I'm just facing good pitchers,'' Puig says, "I just haven't been able to connect with the pitches they're throwing. I'm striking out"Maybe I'm feeling pressure on myself, and that's what happened.''Ethier, the Dodgers' longest-tenured player who's expected to be traded in the off-season, has been the odd man out of the Dodgers' outfielder rotation the second half. Yet, he has 28 games of postseason experience, and has two hits with a homer in six at-bats against Cardinals starter Shelby Miller."We just feel that Andre is a better option today,'' Mattingly said. "We're always very confident with Andre. The only reason that Andre is not playing every day is because we have an abundance of outfielders."It's nothing bad about Andre, just the fact that we've got more than enough everyday outfielders.''And if the situation calls for it during the game, Mattingly says, he certainly won't hesitate using Puig in a pinch-hitting role or a double-switch."You can't sit here and say, "This guy is not got play,' ''Mattingly says. "This is not what this is all about. This is about trying to win a game today. If he's part of the equation of trying to win a game, he'll be in the game.''Puig, who says that Mattingly didn't talk to him about the decision, vows to stay ready, hoping that if the Dodgers win, he could return to the starting lineup in Game 5."I arrived to the ballpark and prepared to do the best against the pitcher tonight,'' Puig said, "but I'm not in the lineup. So it's up to all of the guys on the field to get the job done. Get the win."I'm not worrying about anything else. I'm just going to be supporting them from the dugout.''Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports
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