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Andre Ethier, Hanley Ramirez in Dodgers’ lineup for Game 3 of NLCS

Dodgers center fielder Andre Ethier will be in the starting lineup for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday.
(Alex Gallardo / Associated Press)
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The gang’s all here, or at least what’s left of it.

Andre Ethier has joined Hanley Ramirez in deciding to try and play through injury and will be in the Dodgers’ lineup Monday night in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.

Ethier will bat fifth and Ramirez third against St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright.

Ethier said his bad ankle feels about as good as it did before his start in the opener. That 13-inning game left him unable to play the next day. Before leaving his pregame warm-up to meet with Don Mattingly, Ethier was asked what he would tell the manager about playing.

“Strap it on and go,” Ethier said. “We’ll figure it out as we go. It’s important to have all the guys we can out in that lineup today, especially against Wainwright.”

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The biggest problem for Ethier is not hitting, like Ramirez with his cracked rib, but playing center field and getting needed explosion for balls hit to the gap. He tried chasing a few down before the game.

“It felt good, felt real good,” Ethier said. “I feel I can cover the ground and get the job down.”

Playing through pain is not ideal for Ethier, Ramirez or any other player battling injury now, but the Dodgers are trying to get to the World Series and are down 0-2 in their best-of-seven series with the Cardinals.

“You worked hard your entire career to get opportunities like this,” Ethier said. “We’re four years removed from our last shot of being here. You don’t know when they come. It’s definitely a thing where you don’t want to have regrets of not going out there and giving it a shot and seeing what you can do.”

Dodgers lineup for Game 3: Carl Crawford LF, Mark Ellis 2B, Ramirez SS, Adrian Gonzalez 1B, Ethier CF, Yasiel Puig RF, Juan Uribe 3B, A.J. Ellis C, Hyun-Jin Ryu P.

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