Rookies are key to Dodgers’ stretch drive

PHOENIX — The Dodgers clubhouse in September now shows the signs of a club preparing to play in October.

After Saturday night’s 6-2 win over Arizona, the clubhouse TVs were showing the Giants’ latest late-inning collapse with Dodgers whooping and hollering for the Cardinals’ comeback.

A blue-and-silver Player of the Game belt, the size a boxing champ would wear into the ring, was laid across the chair of Joc Pederson for his breathtaking two-run homer over the Chase Field swimming pool, projected by Statcast™ at 463 feet.

In the manager’s office, Dave Roberts was sizing up another win with contributions from rookies like Cinderella stories Brock Stewart and Andrew Toles, as well as likely National League Rookie of the Year Corey Seager.

“Look at some of the lineups we’ve run out in September; it looks like split-squads from the beginning of Spring Training,” said Roberts. “But they are on a playoff-contending team and there’s a …

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