With the Los Angeles Dodgers struggling for offense, they might have to face St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright without their top hitter in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.
Shortstop Hanley Ramirez had a CT scan on his left ribs Sunday. Results were not immediately available. X-rays taken Saturday were negative. Still, The Los Angeles Times speculated Ramirez has broken ribs.
Ramirez, 29, was hit by a pitch from Cardinals starter Joe Kelly in Game 1 of the NLCS but stayed in to play all 13 innings of Friday's 3-2 loss. He was a late scratch for Game 2, a 1-0 defeat that left the Dodgers trailing the Cardinals 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.
Game 3 is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET Monday at Dodger Stadium.
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Wainwright will start for the Cardinals against rookie Hyun-Jin Ryu, who stumbled against the Atlanta Braves in losing his playoff debut in the division series.
Ramirez told USA Today he hopes another day's rest will help him, but he remains questionable for Game 3.
"I'm going to try 100 percent tomorrow to go, 'til the last minute,'' Ramirez said, "and I hope I can make it."
His rib cage pain affects his swing.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly says Ramirez keeps telling him he is going to play, but Mattingly said Ramirez must to be able to swing a bat without pain to be in the starting lineup.
Ramirez was limited to 86 regular-season games. He missed games in the season's second half with back, shoulder and hamstring soreness. He had hamstring and thumb injuries earlier in the season.
A better hitter than fielder, he batted .345 with 20 home runs during the season and had eight hits in 16 at-bats against the Braves.
Ramirez told reporters he would take all reasonable means to be ready to play in Game 3.
"This is our time and you cannot shut down even if you have little things," Ramirez said.
The Dodgers started journeyman Nick Punto at short in Game 2. They also are watching center fielder Andre Ethier, who has a sore left ankle and sat out Game 2 until pinch hitting. Ethier started Game 1, but the ankle might have affected him on a key play in which he was unable to catch a ball hit by Carlos Beltran. The play resulted in a double for Beltran and the Cardinals' only runs in until Beltran's 13th-inning RBI single.
Another journeyman, Skip Schumaker, is likely to replace Ethier, although Ethier says he can play Monday. Schumaker and Punto played on the Cardinals' 2011 World Series champion team.
The Dodgers also are without Matt Kemp to a season-ending shoulder surgery. Ethier was playing center in his stead, and rookie Scott Van Slyke was used as a defensive replacement in Game 2. Van Slyke is the son of former Cardinals and Pirates outfielder Andy Van Slyke and is from St. Louis.
The Cardinals don't have their top hitter -- first baseman Allen Craig, who was an RBI machine during the season. Matt Adams has replaced Craig.
With Yasiel Puig among players struggling at the plate -- he struck out four times in Game 2 -- the Dodgers scored two runs in 22 innings over the series' first two games. That allowed the Cardinals, who are notorious for scoring spurts and droughts, to make the most of limited opportunities. Example: David Freese doubled, went to third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly thanks to a terrible throw from left fielder Carl Crawford.
The Dodgers have an opportunity to get back into the series. They have questions about their pitching, having used their aces in the openers and lost both games. But they are home for three games, where they will have a chance to stay on course and get their scoring back on track.
"We're a different ballclub with Hanley in the lineup," Schumaker told USA T oday. "When you have him and Gonzo back-to-back, it's a scary 3-4 punch. It just changes everything when he's not in there.''
The Cardinals haven't hit well, and last fall they blew a 3-1 series advantage against the San Francisco Giants. A victory over Wainwright would be their opportunity to turn momentum in the NLCS.
Contributing: Associated Press