Enrique Hernandez started for the Dodgers in center field Saturday in place of slumping rookie Joc Pederson, something that could happen with increased frequency in the coming weeks.
"You make a little different decisions now than you would in May or June," Manager Don Mattingly said. "You get to a certain point, you have to put your best club out there."
With left-hander Scott Kazmir starting for the Houston Astros, it wasn't a surprise Mattingly elected to start the right-handed-hitting Hernandez instead of the left-handed-hitting Pederson. What was a surprise was that Mattingly was noncommittal when asked whether Pederson would start Sunday against Astros right-hander Lance McCullers.