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LOS ANGELES – Albert Pujols, the three-time MVP who was mostly used as a late-game hitter, will start at the Los Angeles Dodgers first base in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Monday night.
The Dodgers will deploy most of their right-handed hitters against San Francisco Giants left-hander Alex Wood, also starting Chris Taylor at center field and keeping AJ Pollock in left field.
Cody Bellinger, who has struggled mightily all season but scored a big brace in the Dodgers’ Game 2 win, will be on the bench early but will likely return to the game once the Giants start using their right-handed relievers. . .
Pujols, 41, will start a playoff game for the first time since Game 3 of the 2014 American League Divisional Series as a member of the Los Angeles Angels.
Pujols has been particularly effective against opposing left-handed pitchers this season, with .294 / .336 / .603. Wood, who will face three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, had fairly even gaps this season (right-handed people had .682 OPS against him, left-handed people had .674 OPS). Neither team has announced a start for Game 4.
The Dodgers did not practice at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, but the Giants spilled onto the pitch for practice around 8 p.m. PT. Giants manager Gabe Kapler, who wore street clothes as his players batted and did defensive work, called Pujols “one of the greatest hitters who ever lived.”
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