The Dodgers made a few minor personnel moves in the "difficult to spell" category in the last week. Doug Mientkiewicz, who played for the Dodgers in 2009 and was among the final cuts in spring training in 2010, has returned to the Dodgers as an instructor for 2012, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Mientkiewicz coached Dodgers minor leaguers in the instructional league for two weeks at Camelback Ranch, and said he will likely instruct hitters as well as first base defense.
In other news, Todd Tomczyk has left the Dodgers to become the head athletic trainer for the Pittsburgh Pirates, per Jennifer Langosch of MLB.com. Tomczyk was the assistant athletic trainer for the last five years in Los Angeles. He earned his bachelor's degree at Duquesne University and his masters degree at California University of Pennsylvania, so moving to the Pirates is a sort of homecoming for Tomczyk.
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On the 23rd anniversary of the greatest play in Dodgers history, we have one playoff game on Saturday's schedule. The Texas Rangers host the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the ALCS tonight in Arlington, with Texas holding a 3-2 series lead, needing just one win to advance to their second straight World Series.
The Rangers are in the same position those 1988 Dodgers were in, up 3-2 in the league championship series, needing to win one of two games at home to advance. The Dodgers lost Game 6 at Dodger Stadium to the New York Mets 5-1, but luckily Orel Hershiser was waiting in the wings to start Game 7. Max Scherzer plays the David Cone role tonight, starting for the Tigers, facing Derek Holland of the Rangers.
If there is a Game 7, the scheduled starters on Sunday night would be Colby Lewis for Texas and Doug Fister for Detroit.
Game Time: 5:05 p.m.
TV: Fox