Dodgers Dugout: Here's the plan next time Clayton Kershaw pitches the seventh inning

Yasiel Puig had tongues wagging after his seventh-inning triple.

Assistant Sports Editor

Oct. 7, 2017 7:15 AM PT

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. I’ll take any kind of Dodgers win they want to give me.

Game 1

OK, here’s the plan. The next time Clayton Kershaw starts a playoff game at Dodger Stadium, we need to make sure the following things happen:

— The Dodgers don’t put up the seventh inning on the scoreboard line score.

— The Dodgers radio announcer never mentions it’s the seventh inning.

— When Kershaw goes to the mound for the seventh, fans are strategically positioned around the stadium in his line of sight holding up signs that say, “It’s the eighth inning”

— When the seventh inning begins, Vin Scully says over the PA system, “It’s time for the eighth inning!”

Maybe this will confuse Kershaw and he won’t know it’s the seventh inning, the inning in which he has an ERA of 25.50 as a starter during his postseason career.

But enough about that. The important thing is the Dodgers won 9-5, despite a few times when I thought the ghost of playoffs past were going to haunt us and cause a loss. Some highlights and random thoughts:

Justin Turner tied a team record with five postseason RBIs, tying the record set by Davey Lopes in 1978 and tied by Pedro Guerrero in 1981. I would have guessed the record was higher.

Yasiel Puig looked like the man who could step up in the postseason, going two for five with a triple and two RBIs.

Puig was his usual self, running with reckless abandon to get his triple and then getting mad at third-base coach Chris Woodward when he was held on Yasmani Grandal’s fly ball to shallow center.

If Puig had been thrown out at third, everyone would be complaining, instead, everyone loves him. That’s the great thing about Puig, he’s always interesting.

The top five in the lineup went nine for 22 with nine RBIs. Nos. 6-8 went one for 11.

I’d much rather see Austin Barnes behind the plate and, if his back is up for it, Andre Ethier in left. I think Ethier, in probably his final season with the team, coming back from an injury to star in the postseason is a script just waiting to write itself.

Kershaw is the first pitcher in playoff history to give up four home runs and win the game.

Brandon Morrow rocketed up my list of favorite Dodgers after escaping that bit of trouble in the seventh.

Whatever was bothering Corey Seager near the end of the season, he seems to be over it. He went three for five with three runs scored.

Cody Bellinger appeared to be trying too hard to hit his first postseason homer.

All in all, a solid start to the series. They looked more like the team that went 81-24 than the team that went 1-16. And we get to do it all over again in a few short hours.

The roster

The Dodgers announced their NLDS roster too late for Friday’s newsletter, so let’s quickly go over it:

Pedro Baez? His last four appearances were solid, and Walker Buehler and Brock Stewart’s were not, so he got the nod.

I was glad to see the Dodgers add a third catcher (Kyle Farmer). This frees them to use Austin Barnes a lot more.

There weren’t any big surprises otherwise.

Game 2

Robbie Ray vs. Rich Hill.

Ray was 3-0 with a 2.27 ERA in five starts against the Dodgers this season. He struck out 53 in 31.2 innings and had a WHIP of 1.137.

Key Dodgers batters against Ray (lifetime):

Puig: .222/.333/.333

Hernandez: .269/.367/.731

Turner: .208/.345/.392