Dodgers win again, but questions remain

Reporting from Atlanta -- Is Dee Gordon ready to be an everyday player? Is James Loney worth retaining at a price tag of $6 million or so? Is A.J. Ellis a major league catcher?

If there’s a benefit to being as far out of contention as the Dodgers find themselves, it’s that they can use the final month of the season to evaluate their roster.

Most prominent of the Dodgers’ questions is at shortstop, where the 23-year-old Gordon started Friday at Turner Field.

“This last month really determines if this is the guy who can play short next year,” Manager Don Mattingly said.

The rookie was both electric and erratic in an 8-6 victory over the Atlanta Braves, the Dodgers’ fifth win in a row and 10th in 11 games. He was three for five with two steals and three runs scored, but he also made a two-out error in the third inning that led to a pair of Braves runs.

“I have to make that play for my team,” Gordon said.

But Gordon said he said he thought the experience would benefit him.

“I felt like I grew a little bit tonight on that play,” he said.

Rafael Furcal, the Dodgers’ shortstop for the last six seasons, was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on July 31. Free agent-to-be Jose Reyes of the New York Mets is almost certainly out of the Dodgers’ price range. The same could be true of Jimmy Rollins, the former most valuable player from the Philadelphia Phillies.

That being the case, the Dodgers have to decide whether to they want Gordon to anchor the infield or sign a dependable but unspectacular veteran free agent who fits in their budget.

The decision has financial implications for the bankrupt ballclub. Because Gordon won’t earn significantly more than the major league minimum salary of around $400,000, designating him the starting shortstop would allow the Dodgers to allocate their limited resources elsewhere.

Gordon’s first major league call-up came in early June, when Furcal was on the disabled list. While Gordon batted .232 over 22 games and was sent back to triple A, Mattingly said he didn’t think he was ever overmatched. In fact, Mattingly said that had Furcal not returned, Gordon would have remained in the majors.

“If you think he can play here and you believe in him, at some point, you’re going to have to let him struggle,” Mattingly said. “That’s how you grow up.”

Gordon isn’t the only player who will be looked at closely this month. Here are some of the others:

--Justin Sellers: The Dodgers envision the 25-year-old rookie as a utilityman in the mold of Jamey Carroll — only cheaper.

Sellers played shortstop during Gordon’s recent stay on the disabled list, but Mattingly said he wants him to play second and third base this month. Sellers started at second Friday and made the play of the night, a leaping backhanded catch on a line drive by Freddie Freeman followed by an underhand toss to Gordon to double off Dan Uggla.

--Loney: Times columnist T.J. Simers wrote last week that the long-slumping Loney had recently “become Babe Ruth.” Even if written in jest, the description wasn’t entirely inaccurate. Heading into Atlanta, Loney had an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of 1.271 since Aug. 19. Ruth’s career OPS was 1.161.

His three-run double in the seventh inning Friday was the key to the Dodgers’ comeback from a 5-0 deficit.

But does a few weeks of Ruthian production justify a significant raise from his 2011 salary of $4.875 million?

--Ellis: The potential backup catcher is out of minor league options, meaning the Dodgers can’t send him to the minors without the risk of losing him on waivers.

Ellis is well-regarded defensively and well-liked by teammates, but his offensive shortcomings were part of the reason why they acquired minor leaguer Tim Federowicz from the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline.

--Javy Guerra: Mattingly said he would be comfortable heading into next season with Guerra and Kenley Jansen as his potential closers.

Of Guerra, Mattingly said, “Every question that we’ve had, he’s answered pretty well.”

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com