The Los Angeles Dodgers will be in Pittsburgh tonight, but they'll be without outfielder Yasiel Puig and shortstop Hanley Ramirez who will be undergoing x-rays on their left hands.
On Saturday night Yasiel Puig was struck in the left hand by a curveball delivered from Joe Kelly of the St. Louis Cardinals in the third inning. He later left the game in the eighth inning with a bruised hand and the initial x-rays came back negative, implying that he would not need to head to the disabled list. He was kept out of Sunday night's lineup in the series finale against the Cardinals.
Last night Hanley Ramirez stepped into the batters box in the top of the ninth with the game tied and a runner on second base. With two outs and two strikes, Cardinals' closer Trevor Rosenthal threw a 99-mph fastball up and in on Ramirez who slightly checked his swing and was hit on the outside of his left hand - the second time he was hit in the game. He was writhing in pain as the team trainers came out to examine him, so manager Don Mattingly put in a pinch runner for the shortstop. Initial x-rays for Ramirez came back negative.
Tonight both players will receive follow-up x-rays in Pittsburgh and won't be in the lineup. The x-rays are considered to be routine and the team expects nothing different from the initial ones. Mattingly said Puig might be available to pinch hit tonight, but Ramirez will not be. Matt Kemp will replace Puig in right field and Justin Turner will replace Ramirez at shortstop.
Puig's absence might hurt the Dodgers, as his replacement, Matt Kemp, is currently in a 4-for-23 slump and has had a relatively disappointing year batting .268 with eight homers and 36 RBIs. He and his agent are seeking a trade that would allow the former everyday center fielder to return to his previous status, but his contract will be tough to move - he's signed through 2019 and owed over $100 million.
"It's not a perfect situation, but Matt's a baseball player," said Mattingly, in this MLB.com article. "We make a big deal about this. But we don't ask him to be perfect, just do the best he can. If he's not perfect, it's not necessarily his fault. I look at Matt as a good athlete who's capable of playing in multiple spots."
You can read more about Puig's and Ramirez's absences in this ESPN article.
