Dodgers scratch Adrian due to pinched nerve

DENVER -- First baseman Adrian Gonzalez was scratched from the Dodgers' Saturday night starting lineup against the Rockies with a pinched nerve in his back.

With the Dodgers on the verge of clinching their third consecutive division title, manager Don Mattingly said he would also rest Gonzalez on Sunday. That will be Gonzalez's third game off in four days.

"We just want to get rid of it," said Mattingly. "It seems to be going away and it comes back when he plays. It keeps coming back. Not something that worried about. Temporarily worried about, but I do think with rest it gets better. Just a matter of a few days."

Mattingly moved catcher Yasmani Grandal to first base and put A.J. Ellis behind the plate.

Mattingly has said Gonzalez is the one bat in the lineup he can't afford to lose and he repeated that Saturday. But he also said he was confident Gonzalez would be back healthy.

"If I thought it was long term, like a hamstring at this time of year, but I don't feel like it's that, I don't think Adrian feels it's something like that," he said.

Gonzalez leads the Dodgers with 28 home runs, 88 RBIs, 74 runs and 149 games.