Casey Blake is off the disabled list and in the Dodgers’ lineup for today’s game after beginning the season on the sidelines with a back injury suffered in the middle of spring training.
Blake is starting at third base and batting second, and his return also means the Dodgers have shifted Juan Uribe to second base while putting Jamey Carroll back on the bench.
Don Mattingley’s decision to bat Blake second is an odd one, as he had a below-average .320 on-base percentage last year and has a modest .336 career OBP. Blake has hit second in 17 percent of his career plate appearances, but hasn’t done so regularly since 2007 and has a .317 OBP in that spot. And needless to say he’s not a particularly speedy runner at age 37.
