Ryu will go in Game 3 of the NLDS, Nolasco in Game 4

In what shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody, Don Mattingly made offical today that Hyun-Jin Ryu will get the start in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Braves, and if necessary, Ricky Nolasco will go in Game 4.  Both games will be in Dodger Stadium.

Hopefully one of these games will be a closeout game considering Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke go first two games in Atlanta's Turner Field.  Then again, baseball can be a strange sport, so Ryu and Nolasco might have the responsibility of keeping the Dodgers alive.  You never know.

What we do know is that based on the end of the season, Ryu is clearly the better choice for Game 3.  He ended up 14-8 with an even 3.00 ERA in 30 starts this season, and the Braves do worse hitting against lefties (.239) than against righties (.252).  Plus, he's much better at home (2.32 ERA) than on the road (3.69 ERA).

Of course, Nolasco made the decision much easier for Mattingly by getting shelled his final three starts.  For awhile, it sure looked like he'd leapfrog Ryu for that Game 3 start, but that all came to a crashing thud in mid-September.  Hopefully, and especially if he is pitching to keep the Dodgers alive, he's figured out what has ailed him and the bats can back him up.  He still ended up 8-3 with a 3.52 ERA in 15 starts with the Dodgers, so the history of success is there at least.