So with Carl Crawford getting a rest from manager Don Mattingly, that meant the Dodgers were going to go with a different leadoff hitter.

Enter Yasiel Puig.

Mattingly said he moved the electrifying Dodgers rookie to the leadoff spot — much like where Puig batted in his debut week — and kept second baseman Mark Ellis batting second.

“He likes to hit leadoff. It will be a little different for him,” Mattingly said. “I could’ve put Mark there, but I like him in the two-hole, and it gives (Puig) a chance to run in front of him.

“I’ve been able to bat him first or put him fourth, or anywhere for that matter, and he’s said, ‘I don’t care.’ He just wants to hit.”

Typical leadoff hitters are expected to work the counts more and take more pitches. Was this a calculated move by Mattingly for the free-swinging Puig?

“Yeah, maybe,” Mattingly said, smiling a bit.