The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to take on the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday in Game 2 of the NLDS, but for the second consecutive game, third baseman Max Muncy is out of the lineup.
The All-Star slugger has dealt with his fair share of injuries this year, but started both Wild Card games and was able to enter Game 1 in the sixth inning. Manager Dave Roberts spoke on why Muncy isn’t on the lineup card Monday, and revealed it isn’t health-related.
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“Physical things, he’s in a good spot now, which is great. I think right now for these first two games, in particular, having guys that have a lot of success against left, I really like the bullet, the silver bullet to deploy at any given point in the game, which we did in Game 1 versus [David] Robertson.”
Muncy entered the game in the top of the sixth inning after a Kiké Hernández double brought in two runs and knocked out Phillies starting pitcher and left-hander Cristoher Sanchez. The relief pitcher to replace him, right-hander David Robertston, entered the game.
“So I think right now just the net sum, it just gives us the best chance to win tonight,” Roberts said. “I felt the same way in Game 1. And we’ll see how tonight goes, but I’ve had conversations with Max every day, and he’s completely on board.”
Muncy has proven to be a prolific hitter this season after quite the slump to start his year, but injuries have slowed him down. A scary looking knee injury in July would sideline him for about a month, and just eight games into his return this past August, an oblique injury shut him down for close to another month.
Roberts has erred on the side of caution with his injured stars to kick off the postseason, limiting catcher Will Smith and moving Tommy Edman out of the outfield.
However, in this case, it’s more about the lefty-lefty matchup, and having Muncy off the bench later in the game against a right-handed hitter.
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Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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