As expected, when Dodgers manager Don Mattingly filled out his lineup card for Saturday’s game against Cubs left-hander Jon Lester, he stacked it with mostly right-handed hitters. The only two exceptions were first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and left fielder Carl Crawford. The AGon move was pretty much a no-brainer since primary backup first baseman Scott Van Slyke – who notoriously punished lefties – was starting in right field and the Crawford move because he has is 10 for 42 (.238) against Lester in the past (and because primary backup left fielder Scott Van Slyke was starting in right field). But as they say, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

With the Dodgers trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning and Lester having allowed only one run on four hits through six innings, it was time for Mattingly to make some changes. He had already replaced starting pitcher Mat Latos with two outs in the top of the fifth inning with left-hander Luis Avilan and as he so often does with Avilan’s spot due up forth in the bottom of the seventh, Mattingly double-switched left-handed-hitting Andre Ether into right field replacing Van Slyke – this in spite of the fact that Ethier has had a long reputation of not being able to hit lefties. The truth of the matter was that with the exception of the struggling Joc Pederson, Mattingly was out of outfielders.

Well wouldn’t you know, Mattingly’s move would prove to be a stroke of genius.

After Crawford led off the bottom of the seventh with single off of Lester and promptly stole second because of Lester’s mental block about not throwing to first base, Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis lined a single to short right field to advance Crawford to third base. Newcomer Jose Peraza, who had already singled off of Lester in the third inning, absolutely scorched a double into the right field gap scoring Crawford and sending Ellis to third.

In only his third major league game, 21-year-old Luis Peraza went 2 for 4 in Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Cubs at Dodger Stadium. He collected his first career RBI on this double in the seventh inning.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

This brought Ethier to the plate to face Lester with no outs and runners at second and third. Although Lester was at 92 pitches, Cubs manager Joe Maddon liked his odds with the lefty-lefty match-up – especially with Ethier’s career .235 batting average against left-handers. The problem – at least for Maddon – was that in addition to his reputation for struggling against lefties, the 33-year-old Ethier also has the nickname “Captain Clutch.”

…and Captain Clutch was in the house.

On a 2-0 count, Ethier ripped Lester’s 88-MPH cut fastball back up the middle scoring both Ellis and the speedy Peraza without a throw to give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead.

As he has done so many times in his 10-year MLB career as a Dodger, Andre Ethier hit what would prove to be the game-winning hit off of Cubs left-hander Jon Lester.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Although the Dodgers would tack on one more run in that fruitful seventh inning on a single by Adrian Gonzalez to make it a 5-2 ball game, it was Ethier’s clutch base hit that put the game on ice for the Dodgers.

It seems that when the game is on the line, Andre Ethier – “Captain Clutch” – can hit lefties after all.