SF Giants set NLDS roster for showdown with Dodgers, Johnny Cueto left off
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants’ roster for their highly anticipated National League Division Series showdown against the Dodgers is finally set.
The club announced Friday it will carry 14 position players and 12 pitchers for the best-of-five series against a Los Angeles squad that defeated St. Louis 3-1 on a walk-off home run in Wednesday’s NL wild card game.
Game 1 of the NLDS between the longtime rivals will start Friday at 6:37 p.m. at Oracle Park as Giants right-hander Logan Webb will match up with Dodgers righty Walker Buehler.
Here’s what the Giants’ roster for the series looks like.
Catchers (2): Buster Posey, Curt Casali
Posey started two out of every three games for much of the season because the Giants wanted to keep him fresh for the September stretch run and the postseason. Mission accomplished. He’s ready to go for the playoffs and is expected to start every game the Giants play the rest of the way.
Joey Bart will be on the Giants’ taxi squad in the event either Posey or Casali is placed on the injured list.
Infielders (5): Brandon Crawford, Evan Longoria, Donovan Solano, Tommy La Stella, Wilmer Flores
With Brandon Belt expected to miss at least the NLDS due to a fractured left thumb, the Giants are without their leading home run hitter and best defensive first baseman. Expect Flores to share time with Darin Ruf and LaMonte Wade Jr. at first base as the Giants will constantly seek matchup advantages against Dodgers pitchers.
La Stella dealt with Achilles soreness during the final week of the season, but he’ll be in the lineup at second base against Walker Buehler whereas Solano will start when the Giants face lefty Julio Urías.
Infield/Outfield (3): Darin Ruf, LaMonte Wade Jr., Kris Bryant
One of the greatest challenges Kapler will have in constructing his lineups during the NLDS is determining whether to start Ruf against Buehler and fellow right-hander Max Scherzer. Ruf always starts against lefties, but he’s been better than Bryant against righties and might even be a more dependable left fielder than the former National League MVP.
Ruf can play both corner outfield positions and first base, but the Giants are reluctant to use him in right field.
If the Giants prefer having Ruf over Flores in their lineup against Buehler and Scherzer, they’ll use Wade at first base in those games and have Ruf, Steven Duggar and Mike Yastrzemski in the outfield.
Outfielders (4): Steven Duggar, Austin Slater, Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson
Alex Dickerson was one of the best Giants hitters in 2019 and 2020, and while his production slipped this year, he was still included on the roster so the team could have another left-handed weapon off the bench against a Dodgers bullpen loaded with good righties.
The Giants can use Ruf, Wade and Bryant in left field and have three true outfielders in Duggar, Slater and Yastrzemski who are all capable of playing center field. Against Buehler and Scherzer, Duggar will play center while Yastrzemski will start in right whereas Slater will likely play center when the club faces Urías.
Starting pitchers (4): Logan Webb, Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood
The Giants won’t need a five-man rotation in the playoffs, so they’ll move forward with four starters including Webb and Gausman, who have already been tabbed to start Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS in San Francisco.
It’s unclear who the Giants would prefer to pitch Game 3 as DeSclafani has struggled against the Dodgers this year while Wood may have trouble against a right-handed heavy lineup.
Bullpen (8): Jake McGee, Tyler Rogers, José Álvarez, Dominic Leone, Jarlín García, Camilo Doval, Zack Littell, Kervin Castro
With MLB eliminating the extra inning rule that places a runner on second base during the postseason, Cueto’s chances of being included on the roster seemed to improve.
If the Giants play any 18-inning games like one from the 2014 NLDS when Belt launched a go-ahead home run at Nationals Park, Cueto would have been the one doing his best Yusmeiro Petit impression and attempting to put up zeroes late into the night.
Instead, the Giants prioritized their hard-throwing younger relievers and kept Castro and Littell ahead of the 14th-year veteran.
The other choices in the bullpen were fairly obvious for the Giants as they want a variety of looks to throw at a Dodgers team that has one of the deepest groups of right-handed sluggers in the majors.
One of the more interesting storylines in October: Will Kapler tab Doval, McGee or a surprise option in a potential save situation?
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