Lineup breakdown: Dodgers-Cardinals, Game 3
A look at Monday's starting lineups for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series between the Cardinals and the Dodgers:
CARDINALS
Cards manager Mike Matheny made no changes to his lineup for Monday's Game 3 in Los Angeles. Matt Adams remained at No. 6 in the order, having struggled mightily against left-handers. As a result, Yadier Molina will once again hit cleanup, with David Freese batting fifth.
St. Louis has only faced Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu once, with Freese and Matt Holliday each notching two hits in three at-bats against him. On Aug. 8 in St. Louis, Ryu limited the Cards to five hits in seven innings, allowing just an unearned run.
As a team, the Cardinals hit .238 against lefties during the regular season, compared with a .280 mark vs. righties. Those numbers have held true thus far in the postseason, with St. Louis hitting .149 against southpaws.
1. Matt Carpenter, 2B
2. Carlos Beltran, RF
3. Holliday, LF
4. Molina, C
5. Freese, 3B
6. Adams, 1B
7. Jon Jay, CF
8. Pete Kozma, SS
9. Adam Wainwright, RHP
DODGERS
Give these Dodgers credit for one thing: They aren't letting a few bumps and bruises and hairline fractures prevent them from playing. Both Hanley Ramirez (fractured rib) and Andre Ethier (sprained left ankle) are in the starting lineup on Monday after both missed Saturday's Game 2.
Among all Los Angeles hitters, it's Ethier who has the best lifetime splits against Wainwright. In 33 at-bats against the right-hander, Ethier is hitting .303 with three doubles and three home runs. For the most part, Wainwright has held the rest of the Dodgers' order in check.
One hitter the Dodgers would like to get going is right fielder Yasiel Puig, who is hitless in 10 at-bats this series, with six strikeouts. Puig, who hit fifth in the series opener and fourth in Game 2, was dropped to sixth on Monday.
1. Carl Crawford, LF
2. Mark Ellis, 2B
3. Ramirez, SS
4. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
5. Ethier, CF
6. Puig, RF
7. Juan Uribe, 3B
8. A.J. Ellis, C
9. Ryu, LHP