NLDS notes: Jayson Werth dealing with back tightness

The Dodgers’ quest for NLDS home field advantage officially came to an end on Saturday, which makes Sunday truly academic except for perhaps the chance to prevent having to watch the Giants celebrate a wild card berth.

Nationals 94-67 (.584)
Dodgers 91-70 (.565) 3 GB

Today’s look at the NLDS looks at another old friend, one of several banged up Nationals as the regular season comes to a close.

Jayson Werth, hitting .244/.335/.417 with 21 home runs and 28 doubles this season, left Friday night’s game with back tightness, though it was downplayed at the time.

But Werth sat out on Saturday as well, though manager Dusty Baker said the team was just being cautious.

Werth is in an 0-for-14 slump, though with three walks and a hit by pitch during that span, and is hitting .211/.297/.267 in September.

Catcher Wilson Ramos is out for the year with a torn ACL, Daniel Murphy has been mostly out for two weeks with a strained buttocks muscle, and Bryce Harper is dealing with a thumb injury, at least. Baker didn’t let the mounting injuries get him down on Sunday, per Patrick Reddington of Federal Baseball:

“You don’t have Ramos, you don’t have this guy, this guy might not be swinging well, this guy might not be healthy or whatever it is, I just have to manage around that. It’s not easy. I’d rather just have everybody healthy and have a set lineup and me just sit back, but I’ve never had that. It’s never been the case. So, I don’t expect it, I just burn the midnight oil sometimes and keep that pad by my bed and when I get a thought then I’ll I go with it.”

Saturday scores

Nationals 2, Marlins 1

Giants 3, Dodgers 0

Sunday schedule

12:05 p.m. PT: Marlins (Tom Koehler) at Nationals (Max Scherzer)

12:05 p.m.: Dodgers (Kenta Maeda) at Giants (Matt Moore)