Los Angeles Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly designs strong line-up for 2011 season
It seems as if the Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired some purpose and speed as their new Manager Don Mattingly has proven to be very enthusiastic as he has put together the line-up for the 2011 season. Mattingly has designed a reasonable plan for the team
as he has already slotted particular positions to players for opening day.
"I wanted to make quick decisions on as much as I could so guys could get comfortable," Mattingly said, "to establish some regularity. Things can always change with injuries or depending on how guys are swinging it, but in a perfect world, we'd be able to
keep it fairly stable, so guys can get comfortable where they're at."
The starting rotation of the line-up for the Dodgers opening day match-up against the San Francisco Giants will include Clayton Kershaw getting the ball. He will be backed up by Chad Billingsley as Hiroki Kurodo, Jon Garland and Ted Lilly will be used if
need during the game.
Most fans and critics think that it is a very good decision on the part of Mattingly to put together the starting rotation for opening day early. This basically allows the players to understand their role in the line-up and how they can support each other
by identifying the strengths and weaknesses.
Casey Blake has moved up two positions in the line-up over Rafael Furcal. Andre Ethier, James Loney and Matt Kemp will also be in the line-up. With regards to Furcal, the Dodgers’ manager said, “It's something we'll probably play around with at Spring Training.
There are two problems. We want to make sure we keep Raffy strong, that's number one. So I want to have a regular plan of rest and I want to stick to it, good or bad.”
The speed and efficiency by which Mattingly has made the line-up for their opening day battle against rivals San Francisco Giants shows the importance that the Dodgers are putting in the game. Los Angeles will be looking to put in a winning effort and get
their regular season going with a decent start. Mattingly understands the tremendous amount of confidence the team can build by beating the Giants in their first game of the season.
Every team in Major League Baseball is always looking to win their first game of the regular season to build up some momentum and confidence into their respective teams. No one knows this better than the Dodgers, who will have to face rivals and defending
Champions San Francisco Giants on their first day.
Although starting rotations and line-ups are not set in stone, it will be interesting to see how well Mattingly’s plan works and if he continues to use this same system for the rest of the regulars season.
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