LOS ANGELES — Hanley Ramirez is back to wondering about his aching left side.
The Dodgers’ shortstop — and best hitter — lasted just six innings on Tuesday, a night after he returned to the lineup with a hairline fracture in the eighth rib on his left side. Ramirez, who sustained the injury when he was drilled by a Joe Kelly fastball on Friday, is unsure about his availability for Game 5.
“All day I was in a lot of pain,” Ramirez said after the Dodgers’ 4-2 loss to the Cardinals in Game 4 of the NLCS. “I’ve been trying all my best to be in the lineup, and I’m going to keep doing that [Wednesday].”
Ramirez, who finished 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, looked uncomfortable at the plate but said there wasn’t one swing that triggered the relapse of his severe discomfort.
Finally, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly convinced Ramirez he needed to take a seat.
“We were in the game, still in the game,” Ramirez said of his reluctance to depart. “Men on base, with one swing I could have tied the game.”
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David Freese left the game with discomfort in his right calf after hitting into a double play in the sixth and is questionable for Wednesday.
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The decision to start Ricky Nolasco for Tuesday’s Game 4 came during Monday’s game, according to Mattingly. The Dodgers ended up winning 3-0. It means Nolasco, who gave up three runs and lasted just four innings, would have been Mattingly’s choice to pitch Tuesday, even if the Dodgers were in a 3-0 series hole.
“Honestly we went back and forth and thought of different scenarios,” Mattingly said. “We flip-flopped more than once on what we wanted to do with it. As the game went on I told [pitching coach] Rick [Honeycutt] I didn’t feel good about it, and everybody is staying where they’re at.”
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Mattingly was asked how George Steinbrenner would react to watching players such as Brian “The Beard” Wilson perform in the postseason.
“Obviously, [Steinbrenner] had the facial hair policies,” said Mattingly, who played 14 seasons for the Yankees. “But he was about winning, so that’s one thing you can say. He would want to have [Wilson] or the guys that are doing well. But he would basically have to talk them into not having the beards.”