Amed Rosario, Kiké Hernández bolster Dodgers platoon advantage

The Dodgers’ lineup looked completely different after the 6-5 loss to the Dodgers on Friday night Cincinnati Reds in the Chávez Gorge than four days ago.

Was at shortstop Amed Rosario, which was taken over by the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday. In midfield was Kiké Hernández, who was acquired by the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday. At second base was Miguel Rojas, who has made all 64 starts for the Dodgers this season as a shortstop.

Armed with two more draw options than at the start of the week, manager Dave Roberts plans to use his new right-handed sluggers liberally in the final two months of the season, starting with Friday night’s line-up against Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson.

“I’m confident in saying we have five guys in the lineup who are move neutral,” Roberts said, citing Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, JD Martinez and Max Muncy. “So then you’re essentially dealing with seven or eight other guys that we think we can match on any given night with a platoon advantage.”

The Dodgers took on left-handed pitchers Friday night with a .229 average and a .770 on-base plus slugging percentage, the former being the third-worst in baseball and the latter being the ninth-best. They placed 10th with a .254 average and third with a .797 OPS against righties.

Right-hander Rosario, 27, could help. The seven-year veteran averaged .265 in 94 games for the Guardians this season with three home runs, 40 RBIs and a below-league average OPS of .675, but against lefties he averaged .303 with an OPS of . 822

Rosario opened the fourth inning on Friday night with a double against Williamson to left midfield and scored with an RBI single from Rojas. He also hit a two-out RBI single against right-hander Ian Gibaut on his Dodgers debut to cap a seventh inning with three runs.

“He was good against righties, but he was a killer against lefties,” Roberts said, “and that’s something we want to capture.”

The speedy Rosario might be a better offensive option against righties than the light-hitting Rojas (.221, .547 OPS), but Rojas is the superior defender of the two.

Amed Rosario’s singles in the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.

(Ashley Landis/Associated Press)

According to Fangraphs, Rojas started Friday with nine saved defensive runs to finish third behind Tampa Bay’s Wander Franco (15) and Chicago Cubs’ Dansby Swanson (10).

Rosario, who has 11 errors in 774 innings with the Guardians, ranks last among the 21 qualified shortstops with -15 defensive runs held and -15 outs above average, prompting Cleveland manager Terry Francona to pick the rookie in later innings -Use shortstop Gabriel Arias as a defensive replacement.

Rojas fended off TJ Friedl’s grounder in the fifth inning but was able to throw for first place in time for Friday’s out. In the eighth, he made a nice play against Joey Votto’s 103.5-mph grounder, slipped on his left knee to do a backhand hold, and made a long throw for the out for the first time.

“I haven’t seen much of him this year,” Roberts said. “Last year I heard it was pretty solid in the short term. This year he took a step back. I do not know the answer [as to why].”

Roberts said he used Rosario as shortstop on Friday because it was the position he played most often and it would “ease his transition to a new club”. But he said the plan was for Rosario to play somewhat in midfield and “get used to” at second base, with Rojas and Chris Taylor getting most starts at shortstop.

Rosario has never played second base — or third base — in the big leagues and has only made 14 starts in midfield and six in left field.

“He’s a great athlete,” said Brandon Gomes, general manager of the Dodgers. “He did really well [defensively] last year so it’s a bet on his true talent that our coaching staff approve of him.

“He was incredibly open and said, ‘Hey, I’m willing to come over and help you guys in any way I can.’ So if we see him fit in infield and some in outfield, we just have options that we like.”

Hernández will jump around the diamond like he did in his debut with the Dodgers, and so will Taylor and Rosario. Most of the trio’s starts will be left-handed.

“I think we’re going deeper – that’s the most important part,” Rojas said. “When you’ve played shortstop for the past few years it’s really hard to move to a different position, but I have to do it.

“I think I have more experience than Amed now that I’m playing second base. Maybe Kiké can also be second. But tonight he’s playing center. So it will be a dynamic rotation. I have the feeling that if you continue to perform well, there will always be enough playing time.”

Left-handers James Outman, Jason Heyward and David Peralta will take on right-handers in outfield, while Betts will switch to second base or shortstop from right field.

Roberts will be able to flip his lineup at several points when a left-hander is substituted for a right-hander and vice versa. Peralta and Outman came off the bench on Friday night and sparked a triple rally with a ground-rule double and a walk.

The outsider might be Outman, who hits .303 with an OPS of .761 against lefties and .233 with an OPS of .774 against righties, rebounding from two tough months to hit .323 with an OPS of .940. three homers and nine RBIs in his first 19 games in July.

“Since we’re sitting here today, James Outman, who had a great second half, isn’t playing against a left-hander,” said Roberts before the game. “So it’s just a matter of understanding and appreciating that I’m using the whole squad and you have to be ready when called upon to do so.

“The fact that Kiké and Amed are here and not playing against a left-hander doesn’t make any sense to me at the moment.”

Staff writer Jack Harris contributed to this report.