Part of the reason the Giants traded for Kris Bryant at the deadline was his versatility. The San Francisco’s lineup for Game 2 of the NLDS vs. Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias reflects that.
Bryant, who went 3-for-3 with a home run in Game 1, has been moved up from the six spot to the two spot, and moved into centerfield, just the fourth time he’s started there in a Giants uniform.
With Darin Ruf in the lineup and batting first, the move makes sense. Ruf needs to play in left, where Bryant played last night. Austin Slater, who has crushed lefties this year (.284/.373./.521) is better suited to right field, as Bryant has had some issues navigating one of Oracle Park’s most treacherous areas. With Longoria at third, that leaves center for Bryant, who played there frequently in Chicago.
As you’d expect, the rest of the lineup is chock full of the lefties, the only exception being Brandon Crawford (and pitcher Kevin Gausman) who kept his MVP-level season going with a home run on Friday.
The one big change on the Dodgers side is Chris Taylor taking over for Cody Bellinger in center. Bellinger takes over at first base, knocking Matt Beaty to the bench. The Dodgers 6-7-8 hitters went 0-for-9 with five strikeouts in Game 1. Gausman will try to keep that going in Game 2.
Here are the lineups for each club:
Giants
- LF Ruf
- CF Bryant
- RF Slater
- C Posey
- 1B Flores
- SS Crawford
- 3B Longoria
- 2B Solano
- P Gausman
Dodgers
- RF Betts
- SS Seager
- 2B T. Turner
- 3B J. Turner
- C Smith
- CF Taylor
- 1B Bellinger
- LF Pollock
- P Urias
