In the wake of Andre Ethier's broken leg, five Dodgers took turns in left field during the first five weeks of the season. As a group, they have been one of the least productive units in baseball, entering Wednesday's game against the New York Mets ranked 26th with a collective .607 on-base percentage.
Manager Dave Roberts chose Carl Crawford to play left Wednesday. He opted for Crawford, a left-handed hitter, over Trayce Thompson, a right-handed hitter. Thompson hit a walk-off home run Tuesday night, but the Dodgers preferred a left-handed hitter against right-handed pitcher Noah Syndergaard and his triple-digit fastball.