Mat Latos was noticeably grumpy Wednesday.

“I’m not talking,” he said, walking away.

Earlier in the day, Latos was scratched from his scheduled start in the Dodgers’ series finale against the Angels. He was said to have a stiff neck.

Latos was replaced by Joe Wieland, who spent the majority of his season at triple-A.


Manager Don Mattingly said that he was alerted of Latos’ condition only the day before.

“They sent him home, hoping today would be better,” Mattingly said.

With Mattingly naming the starting pitchers for the Dodgers’ next five games, it’s unknown where Latos now fits into the rotation, if at all.

Acquired from the Miami Marlins leading up to the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline, Latos is 0-2 with a 6.56 earned-run average in five starts with the Dodgers. He has failed to complete five innings in each of his last four starts.


Alex Wood will pitch Friday in the opening game of a three-game series at Arizona, followed by Mike Bolsinger and Zack Greinke, in that order. Clayton Kershaw will start Monday in a series opener against the Colorado Rockies, with Brett Anderson scheduled to start Tuesday.

Anderson’s start was pushed back from Friday, as the left-hander was recovering from a calf cramp he suffered in his most recent start.

“Obviously, we’re going to prioritize Zack, Clayton and Brett as much as we can going forward, making sure they get rest,” Mattingly said.

‘Lefty killer’


Mattingly and Kershaw offered similar scouting reports on Justin Ruggiano, a journeyman outfielder the Dodgers acquired from the Seattle Mariners in a minor league trade Aug. 31.

“He thumps lefties,” Mattingly said.

“A lefty killer,” Kershaw said.

The right-handed-hitting Ruggiano has thrived in a specialized role with the Dodgers, going into Wednesday’s game five for 11 with two home runs, two doubles and six runs batted in.


Facing Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney on Tuesday, Ruggiano led off the game with a home run.

“Tough out for a lefty,” Kershaw said. “Just battles you.”

Ruggiano was drafted by the Dodgers but was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays before reaching the major leagues. Ruggiano’s time with the Rays overlapped with that of Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations.

Powerful starts


Game-opening homers by Justin Ruggiano on Tuesday night and Scott Schebler on Wednesday night marked the first time the Dodgers hit leadoff homers in back-to-back games since July 12-13, 1951, when then-Brooklyn outfielder Carl Furillo went deep twice against the Chicago Cubs.

Extra bases

Carl Crawford was out of the starting lineup because of a tight back. He was batting .313 with five steals in his last nine games, including seven starts. … Jimmy Rollins remained sidelined because of a jammed right knuckle but is expected to play Friday. … Right-hander Josh Ravin underwent sports hernia surgery. He is expected to be ready for spring training. … Three of the Dodgers’ minor-league affiliates reached their respective postseasons: triple-A Oklahoma City, high-A Rancho Cucamonga and low-A Great Lakes.

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com


Twitter: @dylanohernandez