I think they have a few decisions, mostly on the position player side.
I think these are the for sures:
P - Kershaw, Greinke, Wood, Anderson, Kenley, Avilan, Howell, Hatcher, Baez, Nicasio, Yimi
C - Grandal, Ellis
IF - Turner, Seager, Gonzo, Utley, Kendrick, Rollins (slight chance he could be left off, but more so in NLCS if they got there when Peraza is hopefully back, I don't think you can justify Jimmy over a healthy Peraza)
OF - Crawford, Ethier, Joc, Kike
That leaves 4 guys for 2 spots - Frias, Ruggiano, SVS and now the suddenly and allegedly healthy Puig.
I think you have to give Frias a spot. If Anderson or Wood gets in trouble in game 3, they may want to go to Frias instead of the other one of them as the long man, hoping to keep one for game 4 in case Kershaw is limited to 5/6 innings. I think they're clearly going Kershaw in game 4, but I guess there's a possibility they don't. If they don't, Frias is a lock IMO. You need a long man, and Bolsinger has lost it.
That leaves the three RH OF's for one spot. I'd bounce SVS immediately - he's been awful vs. everyone, lefties, righties, etc. for months. I know the metrics love his glove, but you don't even need his positional versatility anymore (Turner or Utley can also play 1st). I think you roll the dice on Puig. Vs. a right hand heavy staff like the Mets, he's a better play than Ruggiano. Ruggiano has been murdering lefties, but his opportunities will be limited in this series, and in theory you'd still have some RH pinch hitters to use (including Puig if necessary). If this were more of a lefty staff (i.e. say the Dodgers), I'd go with Ruggiano. I say this even though if you give me either of those guys vs. a lefty in a big spot, I'd much prefer Ruggiano. Tough call. Thoughts?
I think these are the for sures:
P - Kershaw, Greinke, Wood, Anderson, Kenley, Avilan, Howell, Hatcher, Baez, Nicasio, Yimi
C - Grandal, Ellis
IF - Turner, Seager, Gonzo, Utley, Kendrick, Rollins (slight chance he could be left off, but more so in NLCS if they got there when Peraza is hopefully back, I don't think you can justify Jimmy over a healthy Peraza)
OF - Crawford, Ethier, Joc, Kike
That leaves 4 guys for 2 spots - Frias, Ruggiano, SVS and now the suddenly and allegedly healthy Puig.
I think you have to give Frias a spot. If Anderson or Wood gets in trouble in game 3, they may want to go to Frias instead of the other one of them as the long man, hoping to keep one for game 4 in case Kershaw is limited to 5/6 innings. I think they're clearly going Kershaw in game 4, but I guess there's a possibility they don't. If they don't, Frias is a lock IMO. You need a long man, and Bolsinger has lost it.
That leaves the three RH OF's for one spot. I'd bounce SVS immediately - he's been awful vs. everyone, lefties, righties, etc. for months. I know the metrics love his glove, but you don't even need his positional versatility anymore (Turner or Utley can also play 1st). I think you roll the dice on Puig. Vs. a right hand heavy staff like the Mets, he's a better play than Ruggiano. Ruggiano has been murdering lefties, but his opportunities will be limited in this series, and in theory you'd still have some RH pinch hitters to use (including Puig if necessary). If this were more of a lefty staff (i.e. say the Dodgers), I'd go with Ruggiano. I say this even though if you give me either of those guys vs. a lefty in a big spot, I'd much prefer Ruggiano. Tough call. Thoughts?
