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Dee Gordon will be the regular shortstop, plus other Dodgers pregame notes

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Dee Gordon will be the Dodgers’ regular shortstop in Rafael Furcal’s absence, Manager Don Mattingly said.

“I’m going to use him, play him,” Mattingly said. “I don’t think we can bring him and sit him.”

The son of former major-league pitcher Tom ‘Flash’ Gordon, Dee Gordon was batting .315 in 50 games with triple-A Albuquerque.

“He’s got tools right now that play to the big-league level,” General Manager Ned Colletti said. “Losing Raffy for another extended period of time -- two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, whatever it turns out to be -- we needed to add somebody who could play a lot of shortstop. Jamey Carroll has been great, [Aaron] Miles has been great, to run them out every day for the next few weeks, we thought we would be a better club with the added talents and versatility of Dee.”

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Gordon will wear No. 9.

He will presumably make his major-league debut over the next three days at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, where his father used to pitch.

“I know this place we’re at right now like the back of my hand,” Gordon said.

In other news:

--With Cliff Lee pitching for the Phillies, Andre Ethier is out of the lineup for Monday’s game. With the Dodgers playing in intense heat and humidity in their recently concluded series in Cincinnati, Mattingly said he wanted to rest his left-handed hitters on a day when a left-hander pitched for the Phillies. Ethier said nothing is wrong with him physically. ‘Good to go,’ Ethier said.

--Marcus Thames, who was activated, is batting third. Mattingly offered some reasons. Thames is “hit or miss” against Lee. He has hit three home runs and struck out 15 times in 36 career at-bats against Lee. Mattingly said he hopes that by batting Thames in front of Matt Kemp, he will see better pitches to hit. Also, if Lee is pulled, Mattingly can put Ethier into the game in his usual No. 3 spot.

--First base coach Davey Lopes said he was emotional returning to Philadelphia, where he coached the previous four seasons. He said that with the Dodgers playing their home games in a half-empty stadium, he misses the intensity of Phillies fans. He said a difference of opinion of how he should be compensated was “part of” his decision to leave the Phillies, but that, “it wasn’t just that.” But he said he had nothing bad to say about the Phillies, adding, “They treated me great.”

-- Dylan Hernandez in Philadelphia

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