Dodgers' NLDS roster includes veteran Madson

LOS ANGELES -- After the unexpected naming of Hyun Jin Ryu to start Game 1 of the National League Division Series over Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers had no such bombshells on the 25-man roster submitted Thursday for the best-of-five series against the Braves.
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They went with a 12-man pitching staff, with the only mild upset being Ryan Madson and Dylan Floro in the bullpen instead of All-Star Ross Stripling or Josh Fields.
"The toughest one was Stripling," manager Dave Roberts said. "Obviously, he's pitched very well for us this year and carrying eight relievers, so the need for length is a little bit lessened. And the way Dylan's been throwing the baseball and kind of how he matched up with certain guys on their roster, we felt good about that. But Ross is going to continue to keep his arm in shape and depending on what happens going forward, he'll still be in play."
Madson had a 6.48 ERA after his Aug. 31 acquisition, but has extensive October experience, while Stripling tailed off down the stretch. Starting pitchers on the roster are Ryu, Kershaw, rookie Walker Buehler and Rich Hill.
"We like Madson's ability to miss bats and also to match up against lefties and righties," explained Roberts. "Fields just missed too much time [with a shoulder injury]."
Floro (6-3, 2.25 ERA) has pitched only twice since Sept. 18, but Roberts insists the right-hander is healthy.
"A lot of it was just match ups," said Roberts. "Four to six weeks ago we were using Floro all the time. That's just how it goes."

The bullpen has three lefties -- Scott Alexander, Alex Wood and rookie Caleb Ferguson.
Hardly a surprise, but unquestionably a tough call to make, the Dodgers left retiring infielder Chase Utley off the roster. Reduced to a pinch-hitting role in the second half, the 39-year-old had only 18 at-bats after July.
Utley, Rocky Gale, Fields, Stripling, Julio Urías and Kyle Farmer are working out with the team and can be in uniform during the game, but aren't on the NLDS roster. They will remain with the club if an injury sub is needed.
Tony Cingrani, John Axford, Yimi García, Zac Rosscup, Pat Venditte, Alex Verdugo, Tim Locastro, Andrew Toles and JT Chargois will be in Arizona working out and eligible to be added for later series.

Starting pitchers
Choosing Ryu over Kershaw to pitch Game 1 is mostly optics, as both would be pitching at home the first two games regardless of the order. The club explanation for the surprise decision was to give each pitcher an extra day of rest, with Kershaw still available to start a Game 5 if needed. Some view it as the most obvious sign yet that Kershaw is no longer viewed by management as the ace, only a month before he can opt out of his contract. Buehler, the ace-in-training, will start Game 3 coming off his division-clinching masterpiece against Colorado. The Game 4 starter hasn't been announced, but it's almost certainly Hill, who fired seven scoreless innings in San Francisco on Sunday to force the Game 163 tiebreaker. Ryu or Kershaw would be contenders for a Game 5.
Relievers
Kenley Jansen said he's ready to step up and be Kenley Jansen again, and it's hard to imagine the Dodgers advancing if he can't. He's been the game's most dominant closer since Mariano Rivera retired, but after last year's demanding usage, this season has been a challenge complicated by his heart issues. Roberts said Jansen's usage will be reduced this postseason. The only real alternative to close is Kenta Maeda, but Roberts doesn't want to go there. The preferred system is for Maeda to set up Jansen, with righties Pedro Báez and Floro and lefties Alexander, Wood and Ferguson helping get a lead to the late innings. Madson made the bullpen over Stripling and Fields because of his postseason experience and effectiveness against both right-handed and left-handed hitters.

Catchers
Unlike last October, when Austin Barnes displaced a slumping Yasmani Grandal behind the plate, Grandal won back the starting job as Barnes struggled offensively all year. Defensively, Grandal's strengths are strike-framing and throwing out potential basestealers, and he's cut down on passed balls from last year's league-leading 16 to nine this year. He stayed healthy enough to play in a career-high 140 games and launch 24 homers, and his walk total jumped from 40 to 72, a sign of better plate discipline.
Infielders
The left side -- third baseman Justin Turner and shortstop Manny Machado -- plays every day. On the right side, it's usually team home run leader Max Muncy at first base and Kiké Hernández at second base against right-handed pitchers, with David Freese at first and Brian Dozier at second against lefties. Machado has been a steady producer offensively and a better shortstop than advertised, even spectacular at times. Turner's defense hasn't been as stellar as past years, but lingering effects of a left wrist fracture could explain that. The Dodgers offense generally goes through Turner. He has a .321 postseason average, but he hit only .160 in last year's World Series amid rumors that he was playing with a back injury. Cody Bellinger is a better defender at first than Muncy, and he might take over there in the late innings.
Outfielders
The platoon continues in the outfield. Against right-handed pitching, Joc Pederson starts in left field, Bellinger in center and Yasiel Puig (reverse splits) in right. Against left-handed pitching, the outfield will be Chris Taylor in left, Hernandez in center and former Brave Matt Kemp in right. Add them all up and they represent 132 home runs. Bellinger's last postseason series, the World Series, was an ordeal -- 17 strikeouts in 28 at-bats and a .143 average with a homer against the Astros. Puig hit .146 in the World Series with two homers. But Pederson, Taylor and Hernandez had multiple highlight moments last postseason.
Here is the complete roster:
PITCHERS (12)
Scott Alexander
Pedro Baez
Walker Buehler
Caleb Ferguson
Dylan Floro
Rich Hill
Kenley Jansen
Clayton Kershaw
Ryan Madson
Kenta Maeda
Hyun-Jin Ryu
Alex Wood

CATCHERS (2)
Austin Barnes
Yasmani Grandal
INFIELDERS (6)
Brian Dozier
David Freese
Enrique Hernandez
Manny Machado
Max Muncy
Justin Turner
OUTFIELDERS (5)
Cody Bellinger
Matt Kemp
Joc Pederson
Yasiel Puig
Chris Taylor