Dodgers notes: Will Smith hit on left hand, Yoshinobu Yamamoto won’t pitch in relief
As of now, Freddie Freeman is expected to start Game 6 at first base. “If it’s costly for him or us, we’ll pivot,” Dave Roberts said
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers held an off-day workout at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, going through the motions prior to Sunday night’s Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against the Mets.
Among the Dodgers questions heading into Game 6 regard Freddie Freeman’s right ankle and availability, slumping catcher Will Smith, and how the Dodgers might use their bullpen.
As of Saturday afternoon, manager Dave Roberts hadn’t yet had a conversation with Freeman, who has been dealing with a badly sprained ankle for three and a half weeks. After Game 5 on Friday in New York, Roberts said he thought the ankle was affecting Freeman’s swing, which the manager reiterated on Saturday.
“He’s grinding. As I sit here, I’m expecting him in [the lineup],” Roberts said Saturday. “If it’s costly for him or us, we’ll pivot.”
But for the most part, the Dodgers plans for Freeman depend largely on how he’s feeling. He took batting practice on the field during Saturday’s workout.
“The decision is net-sum, what makes the most sense to win tomorrow. And that’s the decision we’ll make together,” Roberts said. “But I’m not going to compromise his health or certainly winning a game tomorrow if he’s not mentally and/or physically ready to go.”
Smith is just 5-for-35 (.143) this postseason. He’s been hitting the ball harder in october than during the regular season, but hasn’t been getting any results. He doesn’t have an extra-base hit since his home run in Game 4 of the NLDS.
The catcher was 0-for-3 in Game 5 of the NLCS when he was pinch-hit for in the seventh inning. But the substitution wasn’t due to Smith’s struggles at the plate, or to get him off his feet on his third day in a row behind the plate. Smith got his on the back of his left hand while catching during Game 5, and that’s why he exited early.
Roberts said X-rays on Smith’s hand were negative, and he’s expected to start in Game 6, as he has every game this postseason.
I’ll dig deeper into the Dodgers pitching plans for the end of the NLCS in a later post, but a few notes seem relevant here.
“I do feel that as our focus is still on Game 6, whatever it takes, we’re very well equipped to prevent runs for a potential two games,” said Roberts, who also said it’s an all-hands-on-deck situation for the pitching staff.
Testing that theory, Roberts was asked if Shohei Ohtani, who has maintained his pitching rehab during the postseason, would be available to pitch against the Mets, Roberts said, “He is not, thanks for asking.”
Just to be sure, I asked about Yoshinbu Yamamoto, who is on a strict schedule in his first year in MLB and won’t start on fewer than five days rest. Yamamoto, who struck out eight in 4⅓ innings in Game 4 on Thursday in New York, is “not one of the hands,” Roberts said.
