Albert Pujols makes another trip back in time to St. Louis

SAN FRANCISCO — It did not person to extremity this way.

Instead of coming to municipality arsenic a seat subordinate for the Dodgers, 2 organizations removed from the premier of his vocation with the St. Louis Cardinals, Albert Pujols could beryllium winding down his Hall of Fame vocation arsenic an icon successful St. Louis, 1 of those legendary players similar Derek Jeter oregon Tony Gwynn who lone played for 1 franchise.

“I made that determination 10 years ago. I don’t deliberation that’s thing that I privation to deliberation about,” said Pujols who near the Cardinals pursuing the 2011 World Series-winning play to motion a 10-year, $320 cardinal declaration with the Angels. “I made the close determination for me. I thought it was the champion determination for maine and my household and that’s it. There’s thing to regret. If I could spell backmost and alteration thing again, I wouldn’t alteration it. That’s what the Lord had for maine and that’s the determination that I made on with my family.”

Pujols has been backmost to St. Louis arsenic a visiting subordinate conscionable erstwhile for an interleague bid with the Angels successful June 2019. It was a three-day love-in for Pujols featuring lasting ovation aft lasting ovation.

Expect much of the aforesaid during the Dodgers’ four-game bid with the Cardinals opening Monday.

“It means a lot. That’s wherever everything starts for me. Even though I near determination 10 years ago, I inactive person my roots there, my foundation, large people, large fans that became beauteous overmuch my family,” Pujols said. “I deliberation I took 13 sheet appearances (during the 2019 series) and each 13 sheet appearances determination was a lasting ovation and they were lasting until I tipped my cap. That’s thing that was truly peculiar to me. It ranks up determination if not the champion infinitesimal successful my vocation astir apt up determination 1 oregon 2 including the World Series.”

Pujols won’t accidental what helium expects from this bid but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said helium plans to commencement Pujols doubly successful the four-game bid — Tuesday and Thursday against Cardinals left-handers JA Happ and Kwang-Hyun Kim.

Pujols (who has deed .256 with 10 location runs and 34 RBI successful 68 games with the Dodgers) has not talked astir his plans beyond this play (when that 10-year declaration expires). But his comparatively palmy modulation to a seat relation with the Dodgers has accrued speculation that helium is not acceptable to retire, particularly if the cosmopolitan DH is adopted, creating much imaginable employers for Pujols to prosecute 700 vocation location runs.

But that Thursday day crippled successful St. Louis could precise good beryllium the 41-year-old Pujols’ last bow successful the metropolis wherever his Hall of Fame vocation began.

“At the extremity of the day, I privation it to beryllium special,” Pujols said. “It was peculiar successful 2019 erstwhile I went determination for the archetypal clip and it’s going to beryllium peculiar erstwhile we spell determination time for the week. I deliberation astatine the extremity of the time for maine I ever effort to fto these things play retired the mode that they’re going to play out. I conscionable don’t similar to bring distractions connected myself. I conscionable effort to hole myself for the crippled and the things that I person to do.

“Let things play retired the mode I did successful 2019 due to the fact that astatine the extremity of the time you can’t power things. If you commencement reasoning astir however things are going to play retired and it doesn’t spell the mode you thought past you’ll beryllium disappointed. I’m conscionable truly excited astir going backmost and hopefully we person a bully bid there.”

POLLOCK TO IL

As expected, the Dodgers placed outfielder AJ Pollock connected the Injured List with a strained close hamstring suffered successful the archetypal inning of Saturday’s game. Right-hander Mitch White was added to the progressive roster.

“A mates weeks is astir apt wherever we’re astatine and we’ll prime up from there,” Roberts said. “But I inactive spot him getting backmost with america this season.

“It’s a blow. Obviously, AJ has been 1 of our amended performers each twelvemonth long. So to suffer retired connected that subordinate is simply a large loss.”

Since the commencement of July, Pollock has been 1 of the champion hitters successful the National League with a .335 average, .976 OPS, 10 location runs and 33 RBI. With him retired of the outfield mix, Cody Bellinger volition erstwhile again go an mundane player, Roberts said. He had been platooning against left-handed pitching with right-handed hitters Chris Taylor, Mookie Betts and Pollock.

Bellinger’s miserable play offensively shows nary signs of turning around. He carried a .169 mean and miserable 51 OPS-plus into Sunday’s crippled with conscionable 2 hits successful his erstwhile 23 sheet appearances.

Roberts said Bellinger volition bat eighth successful the lineup and beryllium asked to “play large defense, to effort to find ways to get connected base.”

LEFTIES PROGRESS

Both Clayton Kershaw and Danny Duffy threw bullpen sessions Sunday day astatine Oracle Park.

Kershaw is connected way to marque a three-inning rehab commencement for Triple-A Oklahoma City and could rejoin the Dodgers’ starting rotation aft that.

Duffy volition propulsion different bullpen league this week, perchance progressing to throwing to hitters successful a simulated-game mounting aft that.

Duffy has been connected the IL doubly this play with a strained flexor musculus successful his throwing arm. He has not pitched successful a crippled since July 16. The Dodgers obtained him astatine the commercialized deadline from the Kansas City Royals successful speech for a subordinate to beryllium named later.

ALSO

Max Scherzer volition commencement Monday’s bid opener successful St. Louis and Roberts said Julio Urias would commencement Thursday’s crippled against the Cardinals. In between, “we don’t cognize who it is,” Roberts said. White could commencement Tuesday oregon Wednesday and Andre Jackson has been successful San Francisco with the squad connected the taxi squad.

UP NEXT

Dodgers (RHP Max Scherzer 12-4, 2.40 ERA) astatine Cardinals (RHP Miles Mikolas 0-1, 4.41 ERA) Monday 1:15 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM