LOS ANGELES -- In the end, the Dodgers decided to add righty Pedro Baez to their roster for the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile.
Baez, who did not appear in the Dodgers' 9-5 win over the D-backs in Game 1 on Friday night, slumped toward the end of the season, posting a 10.38 ERA in September while dealing with command and confidence issues. The Dodgers debated adding speedster Tim Locastro as the 25th man for pinch-running situations, but instead went with the veteran reliever.
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Locastro was recalled with three games left in the season after spending most of the year working in Minors, where he stole 34 bases between Triple-A Oklahoma City and Double-A Tulsa.
"I think that ultimately Pedro has been a big part of what we've done all year," manager Dave Roberts said. "I trust him. Arguably he's been our highest-leveraged reliever outside of Kenley [Jansen] all year. So I just think it makes sense."
Roberts said Baez could be used in high-leverage situations, but he won't be at the top of the pecking order. He plans to use the hard-throwing right-hander in matchup situations vs. a right-handed heavy D-backs lineup.
"I think if you're looking at highest-leverage relievers, obviously Kenley's at the top," Roberts said. "and I probably have [Brandon] Morrow behind him, with [Tony] Cingrani and [Tony] Watson from the left side 1 and 1A. So that's going to be more matchup driven, but [Baez], Strip [Ross Stripling], Kenta [Maeda] -- they're all in the mix."
Dodgers carry three catchers
James Farmer also made the Dodgers' NLDS roster, meaning the club is carrying three catchers. Farmer, who can also first base and third, appeared in 20 games during the season, batting .300.
"I love Kyle's at-bat quality," Roberts said. "He can play third, he can play some second, some first. So he gives us that versatility. But his quality of at-bat played a factor in that."
With Farmer on the roster, the Dodgers can use Austin Barnes as a right-handed pinch-hitter. Barnes spent most of the season as the backup to everyday catcher Yasmani Grandal and played 21 games at second base, hitting eight homers with a .289 average.