So here’s an interesting thing as the Dodgers fight for their playoff lives: for the first time in exactly three years, Andre Ethier is hitting 7th in the lineup. (How long ago was that? He hit behind James Loney & Mark Loretta in that game. Yikes.) While it’s a little disappointing, I suppose, to see a guy who just signed a long-term contract being bumped that far down, I’m mostly appreciative of Don Mattingly for acknowledging that Ethier against lefty pitching just rarely ends well. (Ethier has one hit in 11 career plate appearances against Colorado starter Jorge De La Rosa.) Sadly, the repercussion is that it bumps Shane Victorino back up to second.

But hey, it’s all good, because look at that Rockies lineup. This team is doing something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before – they’re so riddled by injury that even in the world of expended September rosters they’re so shorthanded (Jason Giambi, Dexter Fowler, & Carlos Gonzalez, among others, are active but unavailable) that when Tyler Colvin was scratched with a sore elbow yesterday, it left them with only Jonathan Herrera as a healthy backup, which is in large part why starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood had to hit for himself last night even though his day was done. With Ramon Hernandez injured and no other catcher on the 40-man besides starter Wilin Rosario, they’re forced to use Jordan Pacheco behind the plate today, despite the fact that 117 of his 117 starts this year have come at the infield corners. And batting second today is 21-year-old Rafael Ortega, and if you haven’t heard that name, you shouldn’t; he was recalled from Single-A Modesto today (with injured pitcher Jonathan Sanchez, out since August 4, pushed to the 60-day DL to make room) after hitting .283/.344/.410 on the farm, more than two weeks after the minor league season ended.

For the Dodgers, the playoffs have already begun; in fact, they’ve been going on for some time now. If you think you’re a team that can make some noise, sweeping a club like this shouldn’t be a goal, it should be a given.