Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES — For the first time in the postseason, the Dodgers will face a left-handed starter. It will be our old pal Alex Wood, who is a hard guy to cheer against, but it’s going to have to happen this evening. Facing Wood will be the Dodgers’ most right-handed heavy lineup that could muster.
The only left-handed bat in the lineup will be shortstop Corey Seager. All of the other hitters (and whatever Max Scherzer is this year — “bat holder”, maybe) will be hitting from the right side of the plate. That means no Matt Beaty, no Gavin Lux, and for the first time this postseason, no Cody Bellinger. Although given Gabe Kapler‘s penchant for bullpen moves, these guys are all probably going to get into the game at one point or another before the night is through.
Instead, the seven positions other than short will all be filled by right handed hitters. Will Smith will be doing the catching. Albert Pujols will make his first postseason start at first base. Trea and Justin will be at second and third as usual, and the outfield will be AJ Pollock in left, Wild Card hero Chris Taylor in center, and Mookie Betts in right.
The Dodgers hit lefties and righties more or less equally. They have a .245 average against righthanders and a .243 average against southpaws. When it comes to ex-Dodger Alex Wood in particular, they’ve had some good success against him, both when he played for Cincinnati and when he has pitched in a Giant uniform. This year, Wood made three starts against L.A. — including two at Dodger Stadium — during the regular season. The results weren’t overwhelmingly positive for the left-hander as he went 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA.
Though Wood has good memories of his time in LA (including some very clutch postseason pitching), he now sees the Dodgers as just another opponent. “I think the weirdness, we’re past that,” Wood said. “My first two starts against them, five years here, a lot of the same core group, some of those guys still over there. So definitely a little bit weird when you play your old team the first time or two.
And for tonight at least, hopefully the Dodgers can put their personal affection for Wood aside and get to mashing quickly. With this lineup, they certainly have the bats to do it.
