WASHINGTON _ On Saturday, the day before the Los Angeles Dodgers faced Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg in a series finale, manager Dave Roberts met with Adrian Gonzalez.
Roberts had planned to start Gonzalez against Strasburg. He pointed to Gonzalez's seven hits in 15 at-bats against the pitcher. Gonzalez countered with a different plan. He told Roberts he would prefer to come off the bench as a pinch-hitter, preparing himself for the role he will likely play in October _ if he is on the postseason roster.
"If you look forward at what, potentially, he could do for us, to help us off the bench, to give him those opportunities, to see how he can prepare and navigate an at-bat, I think that will give him the best chance to have success," Roberts said.
The Dodgers may give Gonzalez a couple starts during the final weeks of the season, but they appear to have decided against the idea of shifting Cody Bellinger into the outfield to make room for Gonzalez in the starting lineup.
In his first 17 games after returning Aug. 18 from the disabled list, Gonzalez has hit .203 with a .565 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. Outfielder Andre Ethier, the other veteran left-handed hitter, batted .350 in his first 11 games back this month.
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