clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Hanley Ramirez back in lineup for Rockies finale

Stephen Dunn

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers will try to sweep the Rockies on Wednesday night, and will do so with Hanley Ramirez back in the starting lineup, one night after the shortstop suffered a contusion on his right ring finger and left the game in the seventh inning.

"It's sore. I got some treatment," Ramirez said. "Donnie was trying to give me a day off, but I said no."

X-rays on Ramirez's finger were negative, and after Tuesday's game manager Don Mattingly said he would wait and see how Ramirez felt on Wednesday before any sort of prognosis. On Wednesday, Mattingly said it would depend on how Ramirez fared in batting practice whether the shortstop remained in the lineup.

"Just the fact that he comes in feeling good enough that he thinks he could play is good for us. But I'm not real sure he's going to make it today. We'll see if he can throw and hit and all that kind of stuff," Mattingly said. "I think he's 50-50, honestly."

Mattingly also put Ramirez in the starting lineup last Friday, when the shortstop was dealing with a irritation in the A-C joint of his right shoulder, but wanted to wait until batting and fielding practice to be sure. Ramirez that night was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk against Arizona.

Ramirez acknowledged he could be taken out of the lineup depending on batting practice, but was trying not to think negatively.

"I don't want to put that stuff in my mind," Ramirez said. "Right now I'm playing and trying to do my routine like a normal day."

Ramirez is one of a trio of Dodgers with great success against Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa, 9-for-23 (.391) with four doubles and two home runs in his career against the left-hander. Matt Kemp is 13-for-31 (.419) with three homers, three doubles and a triple, and Adrian Gonzalez is 13-for-36 (.355) with three home runs, two doubles and seven walks.

Scott Van Slyke, starting in center field, is 0-for-11 with four strikeouts against De La Rosa, but he has been the Dodgers' best hitter against southpaws this season, at .292/.452/.792 with six home runs, six doubles and 14 walks in 62 plate appearances.

Kyle Parker, who made his major league debut on Monday night, makes his first major league start, at first base batting seventh for Colorado.