It happened last year – the Dodgers clinched the NL West with nine regular season games remaining, during which time Dodgers manager Don Mattingly gave many of  his regulars some time off. And while no one will argue that a couple of these guys really needed some much-needed the rest, guys like Andre Ethier, Hanley Ramirez, Carl Crawford and even Yasiel Puig, it seemed to take a couple of NLDS games for the team to get back on track.

Like his predecessor Joe Torre, Mattingly has a tendency to go with (and stay with) the hot hand during the playoffs – a formula that generally seems to work out well (Michael Young notwithstanding). But is it really wise to sit guys for the final regular season games at the risk of them cooling off before the most important games of the year?

Consider this:

Since the All-Star break Matt Kemp has a triple slash of .306 / .333 / .659 for an outstanding OPS of .992. He hit 16 of his 24 home runs and collected 51 of his 86 RBIs after the break.

During the recent 10-game road trip Matt Kemp hit four home runs, including this towering shot to right at Wrigley Field against the Cubs on September 21. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

During that same time frame Adrian Gonzalez has a triple slash of .308 / .362 / .530 for an OPS of .891 with 11 of his 25 home runs and 52 of his MLB-leading 112 RBIs coming after the break.

And then there’s Carl Crawford who, in spite of being platooned with Scott Van Slyke when a left-hander pitches, has a triple slash of .324 / .367 / .458 with a .825 OPS since the break. And while Crawford hit only four of his eight home runs since the All-Star break, 28 of his 46 RBIs have come during that time. Additionally, Crawford is hitting a very impressive .315 against lefties compared to .291 against right-handers on the season.

Carl Crawford is known as a streaky hitter. Why sit him now when he is blazing hot?
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

And while Yasiel Puig’s numbers have dropped significantly after the break (.275 / .370 / .420 / .790), he has been on fire over his last 10 games hitting .333 with three home runs and eight RBIs.

Why on earth would Mattingly even consider messing with these guys by sitting them for the final three games? The phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” seems to come to mind.

Rather than mess with success, the Dodgers skipper might want to let his regulars go five or six innings (or three at-bats) and then replace them with the reserves, just as he did/does for the final three pre-season games against the Angels. This will keep his best players sharp but will also gives them a little extra time off.

Now is not the time for rest, Don. There will be plenty of time for that after October 29.